A new law is being drafted up to stiffen penalties for people caught dumping construction waste in the countryside, with jail time envisaged as a potential punishment.

“I recently launched a White Paper to stiffen penalties against people who dump construction waste in the countryside,” Environment Minister Jose Herrera said. “The new law will increase the maximum fines for construction waste dumpers and could also see them lose their licenses or their machinery or even end up in prison. The government is sending a message of zero tolerance to this abusive behaviour.”

Herrera’s comments came in the wake of a major clean-up at the Majjistral Nature Park in Mellieħa, during which over 2,500 cubic metres of construction waste was collected, filling up 130 full trucks. The clean-up was coordinated by the Environment Ministry and involved the Environment and Resources Authority, Wasteserv, PARKS and the Majjistral Nature Park.

“This was one of the largest clean-ups Malta has ever seen,” he said. “I wanted to bring Majjistral back to a pristine state, but that is not enough – we now need a stronger legal basis to combat this abuse.”

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]