The second Reuse Centre opens its doors, this time in Gozo

WasteServ has opened its second Reuse Centre at the Civic Amenity Site in Xewkija, Gozo. This will continue to build on the success of the first Reuse Centre that was opened earlier this year in Ħal Far where over a thousand items have already been acquired in the three months it has been open. During a visit to this new centre by the Minister for the Environment, Energy and Enterprise Miriam Dalli, Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri and parliamentary secretary for European Funds Chris Bonett it was explained how these centres are creating a change in the way we look at waste.

Minister Dalli said: “Projects like this help us to look at waste as a resource because objects that are still in good condition are given another purpose so that we extend their life and continue to be used instead of being thrown away. In this way we are reducing waste while moving towards a circular economy.”

Minister Camilleri praised this initiative to open a WasteServ Reuse Centre in Tal-Kus, Xewkija. He said: “This investment will mean a reduction in waste as items that are still in good condition and can be reused will not be thrown away as was done before. That is why we are encouraging more people to recycle.” While Minister Camilleri thanked Minister Dalli and parliamentary secretary Bonett for making this important investment in Gozo, he looks forward for more work and initiatives in favour of the environment for Gozo.

Parliamentary secretary Bonett said that with an investment of €170,000 from the Cohesion Fund, WasteServ opened this second centre to give the public an opportunity to dispose used items that are still in good condition and that can be reused, instead of throwing them away. Bonett said that WasteServ has ongoing initiatives and educational campaigns to continue educating the Maltese people about the importance of waste separation, recycling and that an item can be reused. He also explained how from the new funding programme, Malta will see that funds are allocated so that WasteServ can carry out more projects.

Through these centres people can acquire several used items that are still in good condition with a donation that goes into a fund, administered by WasteServ, to be used for environmentallyfriendly initiatives. During the visit, they also had the opportunity to visit Tal-Kus Facility which serves as a waste transfer station for waste coming from Gozo and Kemmuna before it is transported to Malta for treatment. Two more Reuse Centres will be opening in Luqa and Mrieħel in the coming weeks.

This project is partially financed by the European Union, as part of the Cohesion Fund – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020.