Construction waste from the proposed Malta-Gozo tunnel could be put towards a land reclamation project, Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg has confirmed.

Speaking to Lovin Malta during a press conference in which it was revealed that four consortiums have bid for the lucrative tunnel contract, Borg dismissed suggestions that the materials could even be considered waste, insisting that it was a valuable resource that will be entirely owned by the state.

Borg did not specifically say what the resource would be put towards but referenced several “difficult decisions” the government would need to make in the coming months and years, namely with regards to land reclamation.

“The Environment Ministry under Jose Herrera had started the plans and presented them to Cabinet. The discussions remain firmly underway under Aaron Farrugia,” Borg said.

However, Borg’s suggestion seems to run contrary to Farrugia’s recent statements proposing that dumping of construction waste at sea could be a short-term solution to waste disposal crisis.

The problem is well documented, with landfills practically full and land reclamation being touted as a possible solution.

Environmentalists and activists have long raised concerns of the negative impact of the project on both the environment and Gozo itself. With the constructions resources going into the hands of the government, it seems that possible waste issues may also arise.

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