SPEECH BY THE HON FRANCIS ZAMMIT DIMECH, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, AT THE HALF-DAY SEMINAR "SAFE MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH-CARE WASTE"

It is a pleasure for me to participate in this half-day seminar on what can be one of the most hazardous categories of waste. Health-care waste if not properly handled can be hazardous because of its components, which can be aesthetically offensive, corrosive, genotoxic, radioactive, as well as potentially infective.

It is an open secret that health-care waste is to date treated with outdated technologies and without the environmental safeguards, which are common practice in Europe and beyond. The Ministry for the Environment is determined to find a solution to the waste problem in an integrated way. We know that whatever waste management strategy we embark on we can never do away with landfilling. Besides landfilling, however, we have had many ideas presented to us, some advocating composting, others incineration, others telling us to steer away from incineration altogether. By March of this year, we will have for the first time in Malta a truly integrated waste management strategy. This strategy will serve as a basis on which all generators of waste, including generators of health-care waste, must comply. Complementary to this, we have also issued a call for proposals relative to the sustainable management of all solid waste arising in Malta. I can say that we have already had a very good response for this call.

As part of the EU accession process the Ministry for the Environment is duty bound to ensure that the transposition of EU environmental legislation does not only occur on paper but that it is also implemented in practice.

The primary aim of the EU Waste Management Strategy is the management of waste in a way that does not harm human health and the environment. This strategy stresses the need for the collection of data with respect to waste generation and management. Lack of data results in problems when it comes to reviewing past practices and in planning future activities. The EU strategy moreover states that the management of all categories of waste, and therefore health-care waste, involves the application in a cost-effective manner of a number of options, one after the other, the so-called hierarchy of options. With respect to heath-care waste in particular, there is one important assumption in all this, namely that the options chosen must not interfere with the high standard of medical services that have become established.

The first option is that of reducing as much as practicable the quantity and hazardousness of waste generated. It is realized that this has some limitations with respect to health-care waste, disposable implements would probably continue to be used in this sector more than in any other sector, because they offer more guarantees with respect to hygiene, a primary requisite in any health-care service.

The need for the at-source segregation of health-care waste must be emphasized. It is a win-win option. It has been estimated that 90 per cent by weight of health-care waste consists of food remains, packaging and office waste, and is not much different from that produced in any household or office. Such waste does no require specialized containment, transportation and treatment because it is not considered hazardous.

The next option in the waste management hierarchy is recycling of waste fractions. An effort must be made to deviate at source certain waste fractions from entering the waste disposal stream. Hospital authorities must make an effort to consider the recycling of cardboard packaging and glass containers, and any other waste fractions for which there is a market. Glass waste is currently being crushed and used in the manufacture of floor tiles with excellent results by a local entrepreneur. There is a demand for waste paper for animal bedding. One can also consider export of this material to neighbouring countries. Again, this Ministry can assist in finding suitable overseas markets.

Inevitably, there will be a fraction which will need disposal. In many countries the preferred option for this fraction is high temperature incineration. However, we should avoid this option, if at all possible. I, therefore, support the choice of the hospital authorities in favour of no-burn technologies, provided these technologies are sufficiently proven and offer environmental guarantees with respect to health and emissions to the air, water and land. I must emphasise here that in assessing such technologies, they should not only consider guarantees with respect to decontamination of the material, but also with respect to the nature of any residues which will need subsequent disposal in a landfill. Ideally, such residues should be small in volume and as inert as possible, to avoid the generation of problematic leachates.

Waste segregation, storage and containment, transportation, treatment and disposal of the different fractions of health-care waste requires adequately trained personnel and the preparation of codes of practice. In this aspect my Ministry is ready to assist.

Besides the health-care waste generated in public hospitals, there is considerable health-care and other related waste generated in the community. Besides heath-care waste generated in private hospitals and clinics, there are considerable spent pharmaceutical products in households. Some of this waste can be treated in a common facility, an I would encourage providing a service for such waste. The management of health-care waste in Malta must also take care of similar waste generated in Gozo.

The option of export of some categories of hazardous health-care waste for treatment overseas is also possible, now that Malta is a party of the Basle Convention. This option provides a solution to small quantities of particular hazardous health-care waste that cannot be treated in a cost-effective way in Malta.

I thank you again and declare this seminar closed.