The Maltese government should give the entire concession for the country’s cremations to one crematorium, MP Rosianne Cutajar, who spearheaded the legislation, believes.

Cutajar told Illum that it simply does not make sense to have more than one crematorium on the island.

“We are not going to allow for an open market which will have three different operators who decide to build a crematorium,” she said.

This, she explained, was both due to the feasibility of having three operators and the environmental concerns that come with the practice.

“Instead of protecting the environment, we will take more ODZ land to build crematoria,” Cutajar explained.

The MP also revealed that by pushing for a concession, the government would be able to control the pricing of the service.

The law has been in place since May. However, it is still unclear as to who will operate the service. So far, Camilleri Funeral Directors have shown an interest (as evidenced by previous applications), with a cremation believed to cost between €550 and €750.

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