Waste

Municipal Waste

H.M. Government of Gibraltar is considering alternative options for the treatment of its municipal waste.

Ramboll Waste Treatment Options Assessment

The strategy for waste management within Gibraltar has concentrated on the preference to handle and manage waste locally. Historically, this was realised through the operation of a municipal solid waste incinerator. However, following the closure of the facility in 2000, an alternative waste treatment and disposal strategy had to be developed.

At present all of Gibraltar's municipal waste is sent to Sur Europa, a landfill site in Los Barrios, Spain. Sur Europa opened a new environmental park in 2003. The environmental park employs an array of manual and automated separation and sorting processes to recover paper, plastics and metals from the incoming waste stream, with the organic fraction being composted in a covered shed to provide a 'saleable' compost product. The residual waste is removed by separate conveyor to a baling plant, before being disposed of to a newly developed landfill adjacent to the facility.

Recycling

Sorting with the aim of recycling is also carried out locally for numerous types of waste. Wood and metal items, principally resulting from commercial wastes, are sorted at the site of the previous incinerator at Michael Dobinson Way. Furthermore, Government provides a separate Recycling Centre, presently at Europa Advance Battery, Europa Advance Road and is operated by Gibraltar General Support Services Ltd. At this facility, householders are able to dispose of their bulky timber items, white goods, large electrical and electronic items, mattresses and scrap metal. These materials are then treated or recycled at the appropriate decommissioning plants.

Other items that are currently being collected for recycling include batteries. In addition, within Gibraltar, glass, cans, paper, plastic and small waste electrical and electronic items are picked up from strategically placed recycling bins around Gibraltar. All these collected materials are then sorted and sent to recycling plants in Spain. At the recycling plant, all materials collected are reprocessed into new materials bound for manufacturing.

Britannia is the contractor appointed by Government to service all the recycling bins with the exception of the WEEE bins. These are serviced by MetalRok.

Hazardous Waste

The predominant hazardous waste material within Gibraltar is waste oil, comprising a mixture of waste oils/water from visiting ships, MOD sources, service stations and other light industry. These materials currently undergo preliminary treatment and water separation at a Slop Oil Reception and Treatment (SLOP) facility at 12 North Mole Road, before being transferred to an approved licensed waste facility for further treatment, regeneration or disposal.

The second most predominant hazardous waste material is clinical waste produced by the hospital and a number of medical, nursing, dental and veterinary practices. All clinical waste is currently disposed of at the EWMS clinical waste incinerator at Europa Advance Road. Other hazardous wastes (including MOD wastes) are generally collected and disposed of by any one of a number of licensed private waste contractors. Such materials are delivered for treatment and/or disposal to suitably licensed waste facilities in Spain.

The frequency and quantity of such other types of hazardous waste are largely dependent on the nature and occurrence of each waste stream. For further information concerning any particular type of hazardous waste please contact: