The Development and Operation of Engineered Landfills in Malta

Ms. Henriette Putzulu Caruana Waste Separation & Treatment Officer WasteServ Malta Ltd.

Introduction
WasteServ Malta Ltd. was established in November 2002. Responsibilities include: 1. The management of public waste management facilities. 2. Planning the implementation of new/upgraded facilities. 3. Organizing, managing and operating integrated systems for waste management including waste minimisation, collection, transport, sorting, reuse, utilisation, recycling, treatment and disposal of solid and hazardous waste.

The situation prior to 2004

Waste disposal sites at Maghtab, Qortin and Wied Fulija were developed without any environmental controls. A legacy of dump sites that have no systems in place for the proper control of landfill leachate or gas and the presence of fires was a common occurrence. These sites received all kinds of waste for a number of years. The lack of engineering and controls lead to serious concerns over the potential human health and environmental impacts of these sites and the need to raise the environmental standards associated with the management of waste in Malta.

Rehabiliatation of old waste dumps (Maghtab, Qortin and Wied Fulija)

The dump at Wied Fulija was shut down in 1995. Maghtab and Qortin dumps were shut down on 30 April 2004. The sites are being rehabilitated through an EU co-financed project. The project includes the following components: Closure and initial phase of the rehabilitation of Maghtab, Qortin and Wied Fulija landfills; Introduction of the environmental measures necessary in order to enable the landfills to be fully rehabilitated and brought back to beneficial use at a future date; Immediate minimisation of the aerial impacts of the landfills on nearby receptors;

Status of rehabilitation to date

Maghtab works are on going. Phase 1 of 3 has been completed. This involved:
the drilling and installation of 43 wells the construction of 6 collection manifolds and the installation of the first phase of the gas mains connecting the individual manifolds to the gas treatment.

Equipment to treat extracted gas was installed and trials are currently on going with the objective of fine tuning subsequent phases of the project. Regular monitoring of surface gases and groundwater is also conducted.

Inert Waste
The Maghtab dump was closed for inert waste in July 2003. Inert waste is currently being used in the rehabilitation of quarries. It is estimated that approx. 2 million tonnes are generated and disposed of annually. Between May 2003 and December 2006, over 5 million tonnes of inert waste have been deposited public inert waste sites managed by WasteServ. These quarries were rehabilitated into fields. Other sites are operated by the private sector.

Ta Zwejra Non-hazardous Waste Facility

A small part of the footprint of the Maghtab dump (Ta Zwejra) identified to have a very low temperature was cleared of the waste contained and reused for the construction of a temporary storage facility for the deposit of the non-hazardous waste. The Ta Zwejra site was engineered in accordance with all the requirements of the Landfill Directive.

Cross-section showing lining system

Detail showing leachate drainage system

Ta Zwejra (cont)
Operation of the Ta Zwejra facility commenced on 1st May 2004. The waste management permit for this facility allowed storage of non-hazardous waste for a period of 3 years. Following the appointment of the IPPC Committee, an application to convert the Ta Zwejra site into an engineered landfill was submitted. The IPPC permit was issued on 1 December 2005.

Ta Zwejra (cont)
The IPPC permit includes a number of conditions related to:
Operational conditions including waste acceptance and placement, compaction, etc. Control of nuisance e.g. rodents, odour, noise, etc. Environmental monitoring requirements Record keeping Reporting Notifications to the Authority

Some Monitoring Requirements

Landfill gases (ambient air / gas extraction wells weekly Dioxins, PAHs, heavy metals, TSP in ambient air - monthly Groundwater quarterly Noise weekly Odour daily

The site has reached its maximum capacity. The site will now be capped and a gas collection system will be installed. The landfill gas will be extracted with the objective of generating power.

Ta Zwejra (cont)
Estimated Volume: 600,000 cubic metres Lifetime: 34 months Quantity of waste received: approx. 700,000 tonnes Maximum height permitted: 75 metres (Cell 1) The site is now ready for closure. A Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project will be implemented.

Ghallis Facilities
The facilities comprise: An engineered landfill facility for non-inert nonhazardous wastes; An engineered landfill facility for hazardous wastes; A storage and treatment facility for hazardous wastes. These facilities are currently being constructed, Phase 1B of the non-hazardous landfill is already in use.

Ghallis non-hazardous waste landfill

Engineered facility for disposal of non-hazardous wastes. Estimated void of 1.7 million cubic metres to be filled at a rate of 250,000 tonnes per annum. Facility is being developed in phases. Expected to last for a minimum period of 7 years; this will depend on the success of other initiatives. IPPC Permit approved on 5th April 2007. Conditions similar to Ta Zwejra.

Ghallis non-hazardous waste landfill (cont)

Cross-section showing lining system

Detail showing leachate drainage system

Ghallis non-hazardous waste landfill (cont)

Ghallis hazardous waste landfill

Engineered facility for disposal of treated hazardous wastes. Estimated void of 100,000 cubic metres to be filled at a rate of 5,000 tonnes per annum. Expected to last for a minimum period of 20 years. Application IPPC Permit has been submitted but has not been approved yet. Construction on going.

Cross-section showing lining system

Detail showing leachate drainage system

Lessons learned from our limited experience

Maltas conditions are unique. Being the sole landfill providers, we experience significant pressures especially when considering that Malta is still highly dependent on landfilling. We are experiencing small volumes of leachate generation but significant quantities of good quality gas. Landfilling is not a sustainable solution. Apart from waste reduction and recycling initiatives, other options need to be explored and implemented to reduce Maltas dependency on landfilling.

THANK YOU!

WasteServ Malta Ltd. Phoenix Building Old Railway Track Santa Venera HMR 16 Tel: 2385 8000 Fax: 2144 1930 E-mail: info@wasteservmalta.com