Black waste collection bags are set to become more expensive in the coming years, to encourage both households and businesses to separate their waste at source.
Under the plan, which is still at the consultation stage, commercial outlets would have to pay the full cost for bags, while households would receive a preset amount of bags free-of-charge, to offset expenses.
Recyclable and organic waste bags will be cheaper in comparison.
Price rates will be fixed depending on the type of waste and volume, to reward businesses that separate before collection.
The revised system is at the heart of the government's 10-year waste management plan for the years leading up to 2030, which was opened to public consultation earlier this month.
The plan proposes a three-step approach to transitioning to a system whereby commercial establishments will be paying for waste disposal by 2023, dubbed ‘pay-as-you-throw’ (PAYT).
The first phase would see authorities encourage the disposal of purely organic waste, by organising organic waste collection between 1am and 3am on Saturdays and Sundays in tourism zones.
Waste separation would become mandatory for all commercial outlets in 2022, with the PAYT system of charging a premium for black bag waste in operation by the following year, 2023.
To facilitate enforcement of the new rules, all waste disposal bags would be made see-through, to easier catch law-breakers.
The PAYT system, which the plan estimates will cost €500m to implement, is intended to reward commercial outlets which make an effort to recycle, while also passing on some of the costs of disposing of black bag waste onto consumers. Currently, black bag prices only reflect the cost of producing the bags.
The plan would also see the government introduce a new type of waste bag, specifically for paper collection.
Environment minister Aaron Farrugia had first announced the plan to require commercial outlets to recycle their waste earlier this month as a part of a raft of changes that are set to improve Malta’s ability to reach the EU’s 2030 waste management targets.
Besides a step-up in recruitment of enforcers, the environment ministry is intent on launching educational campaigns in an effort to encourage the public to recycle more.
Despite introducing recycling laws in 2018, Malta's wastefulness increased by 7.3% in 2019, statistics show. The total amount of municipal waste that was treated in 2020 stood at 352,018 tonnes, with 91% of it going straight to landfills.
Besides the PAYT plans, the government plan also proposes preventing waste generation by promoting the exchange and redistribution of goods.
Farrugia had also previously emphasised that stakeholder engagement is key for the behaviour shifts that need to occur so the country can move towards a circular economy that maximises the re-use of its waste.
Waste collection burden
The plans also suggest overhauling payment systems for the collection and disposal of waste, with the financial burden being further imposed on commercial establishments, rather than local councils and their limited budgets.
Waste collection would be organised regionally, with waste disposal vehicles modernised. The plan sets a target of having 20 per cent of the fleet running on electric power by 2025, though it notes that economies of scale might make it more worthwhile to convert the entire fleet to electric vehicles.
The plan's public consultation period was opened on December 14 and will be concluded on January 18.