There are 31 quarries which are permitted to accept C&D (construction & demolition) and inert waste in them, the Environment & Resources Authority has said.

In a statement, the Authority, which is responsible for the protection of the environment explained 6 of these sites are permitted for recycling construction waste only, adding that it is processing other applications for new sites.

The ERA said that it took stock of the quarries in Malta and Gozo in November last year, where it emerged that there are a “number of disused quarries that may be restored.”

The Authority went on to say that it “gives precedence to the infilling of disused quarries, whereby sea dredged material is permitted to be dumped at sea at the official spoil ground off Valletta Harbour.”

“All applicants and contractors are expected to seek “proper waste management facilities prior to commencement of works that are known to generate any quantities of construction waste,” the ERA said.

“It is pertinent to note, that regulatory authorities such as ERA, cannot fulfil the obligations of operative entities, whether public or private, in their course of contractual obligations with third parties,” the Authority said.

The ERA stressed that it has “always been available to facilitate negotiations between contractors and quarry operators, however it is the responsibility of the entity generating the waste to secure proper waste disposal in line with sustainable environmental goals.”

The Authority concluded by saying that in the coming days it intends to introduce regulatory measures “to bring in line the quarrying sector, which for the past years has been largely unregulated.”

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