Six months and one manifesto later, still no decision on underground bins
Labour's manifesto said bin locations have been established. The ministry responsible says otherwise
The government has yet to establish the sites for its promised underground waste bins despite the Labour Party’s electoral manifesto suggesting they had already been identified.
Glenn Bedingfield, then parliamentary secretary for public cleanliness, had said in January the government was testing and finding locations to install underground waste bins in 10 locations.
The Labour Party (PL) manifesto, published in the run-up to the last general election, said: “A number of sites in which underground bins can be installed have been identified.”
However, when asked for specific details such as when and where these underground waste bins will be installed, the ministry for local government and public works, now headed by Alison Zerafa Civelli, said “these details have yet to be established”.
Now that summer is in full swing, Times of Malta also asked whether the waste bins will have any special features to address foul smells and how pests will be prevented from accessing waste stored below street level.
Studies
A spokesperson for the ministry said: “The equipment to be installed needs to address various issues, among which are the concerns that you have outlined. For this purpose, all necessary studies will be carried out to ascertain successful implementation.”
When the announcement to install underground waste bins was made, the Nationalist Party (PN) accused the government of stealing the idea from it. It noted the idea was contained in a consultation document, entitled Innaddfu lil Malta (Let’s Clean Malta), presented in August 2025. Responding to the criticism, the government insisted that the idea of introducing underground dust bins was suggested in January 2024, before the PN document had been made public.
Waste collection has long been an ongoing issue in the Maltese islands. Malta produces approximately 353,000 tones of municipal and domestic waste each year, which translates to about 574 kilograms per person. In 2024, Malta generated 3.5 million tons of solid waste, a 17.6% increase over previous years.