€75 million contract signed to launch new organic processing plant
The government and WasteServ have signed a contract worth €75 million to initiate works of a new organic waste processing plant, with the aim being for the project to be finalised in two years’ time.
Once active, this facility will take organic waste away from landfills around the country and it will also convert this waste into renewable energy and agricultural-grade compost for local farmers.
Through this organic waste processing plant, WasteServ’s ability to treat organic waste will be nearly doubling from around 36,000 tonnes annually to over 74,000 tonnes per year. WasteServ already converts organic waste into clean renewable energy, though this plant will raise this renewable electricity generation up from 8.5GWh from the existing facility to 20GWh.
The tender for this project was announced in March last year. On Monday, 13 months later, the contract was signed by the Department for Contracts and GreenMed JV for works to begin. Present for this ceremony were Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, the Minister for EU Funds, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, and WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca.
In this press conference at the ECOHIVE Complex in Magħtab, WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca said that in the last five years, WasteServ has diverted over 412,000kg of organic waste from landfills. In 2025, a record-setting 36 million kilogrammes (36,722 tonnes) of organic waste was collected.
He said that this organic processing plant will prepare Malta for the next 20 years by future-proofing Malta’s waste infrastructure.
“It will prepare Malta for the future and ensure that our children, instead of inheriting landfills, will inherit infrastructure that converts our waste into resources,” the WasteServ CEO said.
Bilocca assured that all waste entering this facility will enter in sealed bags and that this plant will have no contact with the outside world in its operations.
“Throughout the process, waste will never come into contact with ambient air and will only leave the plant once fully processed and packaged into market‑ready compost bags,” he said.
It is envisioned that once organic waste arrives at this facility, all material is first screened to filter out any contaminants like plastics, before then being treated in enclosed anaerobic digesters where the waste can naturally break down, in the absence of oxygen, to produce biogas – a renewable energy source used to generate electricity.
The remaining material, known as digestate, is then pasteurised at high temperatures and further processed into high-quality compost. The new facility will allow compost to be packaged on-site, ready for use.
Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi said that this contract signing marks an important step towards more sustainability, a better circular economy in Malta, and converting waste into a resource.
“It is another example of how EU funds shall continue to strengthen the continuous transformation of the Maltese economy, as required, not only as a result of EU legislation, but out of a need to understand of how to update our economy in view of our 2050 targets,” the Minister for EU Funds said.
This project is co-funded by the European Union – €45 million of the total €75 million sum derives from EU funds.
Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said that this organic processing plant will be significantly ameliorating national infrastructure.
She added that with each passing year, “we are seeing an increase in the separation of waste – particularly on organic waste.”
She commended the general public, households, and the commercial sector for separating waste accordingly, though commented that “we must increase education and awareness on the benefits of waste separation to ensure that every investment we do reaches its maximum benefit.” On this, she stated that she notices “a massive difference” between students and adults, and in her view, this subject shows how “students can be ambassadors for change, even with the older generation.”
Dalli said that this facility will contribute to a cleaner environment, a more circular economy, and an increased share of renewable energy to help Malta move away from its reliance on fossil fuels.
She added that this project is also an investment in quality of life, as this plant will reduce the amount of waste in landfills and help us have cleaner communities.
Dalli concluded that this facility will help Malta move towards its environmental targets, particularly for recyclables and reducing waste amounts, and push the country to reach the highest environmental standards.
RSS Feed Source: Independent Malta €75 million contract signed to launch new organic processing plant