Hazardous waste management in the small island states of Malta and Cyprus

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to understand the importance of managing hazardous waste in the most sustainable manner in order to protect the environment and human health, with special reference to Small Island States (SIS). This dissertation provides a detailed review of waste management theory and a legal background to the current research. During this dissertation, relevant literature was identified and reviewed in order to provide a concrete theoretical and legal framework on hazardous waste management. In addition, the main issues relating to the vulnerability of SIS vis-a-vis the management of hazardous waste were identified. The study focussed on two SIS; Malta and Cyprus, the only two SIS within the European Union. Following the literature review, the study begins by giving a geographical overview about the Islands and than continues with a discussion about the waste management framework in each of the two Islands. Following this is an analysis of the current situation is carried out in order to analyse the current situation with regards to hazardous waste management within the two Island States. For this study several personal interviews were carried out with entities having a direct knowledge of the waste management practices in both Islands. Following the identification of the waste management practices currently being adopted by Malta and Cyprus, a discussion based on the literature review identified earlier was carried out. The discussion includes possibilities on how to improve the current practices within the two Islands in order to achieve sustainability in waste management. The study found that SIS such as Malta and Cyprus are so fragile that small effects on the Island's environment or human health are automatically amplified. Therefore, it is very important that hazardous waste is managed in the most sustainable manner to protect the environment and human health. It was identified that awareness and improved practices for the management of hazardous waste within Malta and Cyprus are increasing towards being more sustainable; however there is still a lot of progress that needs to be achieved. The study concluded that sustainable waste management could be achieved by some efforts and investments from both the private and public entities. It also concluded that the government should take increased initiatives to increase awareness through more educational campaigns reaching all levels of the society and by providing the appropriate network of waste management facilities and incentives for the environmentally correct management of hazardous waste.