When the masks fall

“Virtue has a veil, vice a mask” – Victor Hugo

About two years ago, I saw a recycling truck collecting separated waste – glass, paper, metal and plastic – and was shocked to see the contents of the four different large containers all dumped in the same truck.

I filmed the scene and posted it on Facebook, asking Wasteserv for an explanation. Around 67,000 people viewed the post, which also had hundreds of comments. But not one from Wasteserv.

Today there is evidence that all domestic waste is all being dumped at the Maghtab landfill, also confirmed by Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia. What a scam! What a shame!

After all the money spent on the ‘Sort It Out’ campaign, we now know that we have been taken for a ride.

The three plastic containers to separate waste, which were given to every household in Malta and Gozo, are useless and just take up space. Even the smaller organic waste bin was a waste of resources too. It would be interesting to know how much these bins cost and, more importantly, how much the supplier made.

Remember those children screaming “sort it out”? Who doesn’t – they were on television every other hour. Most of the Maltese complied, but not Wastserv.

Do you remember the leaflets in our letterboxes and the ‘Recycle for l-Istrina’ billboards? Or former Environment Minister Jose Herrera and his photo at the door of a lady receiving her organic waste bin?

Well, we have all been had. There is no recycling – not from Wastserv. The scheme was fake – part of the government’s public relations propaganda. It does take the mickey out of us but, sooner or later, the masks will fall and we can all see the bleak truth staring at us.

I’m impatiently waiting for the new Infrastructure Malta video similar to the one showing ‘we built a road’. It is predicted that the 2.45 minute clip will be titled ‘we’re building a new landfill’.

It’s all fake – just like the ‘rubble walls’ that Minister Ian Borg is building along his famous new wider roads. They, in fact, are concrete blocks covered with Maltese rubble slabs.

Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo declared that the killers of Daphne Caruana Galizia will be arraigned and justice will prevail. Yes. Sure.

And Bartolo went on to explain that he was very critical of his own government when writing cryptic messages on his Facebook page. What he didn’t tell the delegates was that, during that same period, he voted in favour of a confidence vote for Joseph Muscat three times, who remains free with his chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Meanwhile, Vitals’ Ram Tumuluri got a €5 million performance bonus. The pro-business Maltese government under the former leadership of Muscat – the most corrupt person trophy holder – sold out three hospitals for €1. A great deal – for Vitals.

Since then Vitals (and later Steward Healthcare) have received a little more than €240 million from Maltese taxpayer’s in six years, according to the Opposition Leader. But now Steward Healthcare is asking for more money – around €18.6 million in reimbursements alone and further conditions that favour their deal. Muscat is clearly behind all this. Is Abela seeing it?

Film Commissioner Johann Grech (an iced bun given by none other than former Minister Konrad Mizzi) is being asked to resign. He is giving preference to certain production companies over others.

A couple of years back, CHOGM Chairperson Phyllis Muscat, Joe Vella Bonnici of Identity Malta and Partit Laburista artistic director Mario Philip Azzopardi created two film support companies called Grigal Films and Cittadella Malta Films Ltd.

As I did not go to LIDL to stuff my car with toilet paper, nappies or pasta, I did some sums about the €1.6 million that Finance Minister Edward Scicluna sent to all families as a one-time bonus cheque of up to €35 to each household to cover the price increase for milk and bread. It amounts to €0.95c a day for every family of two or more over a year. A single person receiving €15 gets €0.04 cents a day.

Masks? Anyone talking about masks?

Joe Azzopardi worked in a number of government secretariats and ministries and a regular contributor to local newspapers. Married to Anna with one daughter (the late Nirvana Azzopardi).

In a reply, Wasteserv clarified that separated waste received in its facilities continues to be treated.