Around 214 tonnes of packaging waste were collected in the three weeks since the start of the packaging waste collection system at source, the Resources Ministry said.

The amounts are increasing from week to week and the amount collected in the third week, 105 tonnes, nearly four times that collected in the first week.

"More importantly, the packing waste that was collected from households was well sorted and clean from organic waste."

In the third week, the locality where the largest amount of recyclable material was collected was Birkirkara, with a total of 6980 kg, closely followed by Attard with a total of 6560 kg. Other localities where over 4 tonnes were collected included Zabbar, Qormi, Mellieha, Mosta and Sliema.

 

Addressing a number of complaints received from households, Christopher Ciantar, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Resources, said that since the management of the collection was the responsibility of the local councils some locality issues had to be addressed by the councils. This includes for example the collection day, where a few localities in Malta including Birkirkara, Luqa, Mellieha, Naxxar, St Paul’s Bay and Senglea, have chosen a different day for the collection system. In Gozo three localities, Gharb, Ghasri and San Lawrenz have opted for Tuesday instead of Monday. Collection times also vary from one council to another, so households should check with the respective council.

Dr Ciantar said that over the coming days the grey bags will also be available for sale in supermarkets.