Underground bins idea was ours, PN says
Government announces plans to install bins at 10 sites
The Nationalist Party has welcomed a government plan to install underground bins in 10 locations around Malta and Gozo, while stating it had come up with the idea last year.
During an appearance on TVM’s Mill-Kamra, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Cleanliness Glenn Bedingfield said the planned bins are intended to help tackle illegal dumping near and around skips.
An underground bin is a waste container installed mostly below street level, with only a small opening visible above ground, allowing rubbish to be stored out of sight until it is collected. They are common in European cities such as Paris, Madrid and Amsterdam.
Back in January, Bedingfield had said the Cleansing Division was carrying out tests and identifying potential sites for the installation of the bins.
However, in a statement on Monday, the Opposition pointed out that the proposal was included in its consultation document entitled Innaddfu lil Malta (Let’s Clean Up Malta) - “a concrete and detailed vision on how to improve the quality of life of Maltese and Gozitan citizens through better waste collection, a cleaner environment, and modern urban infrastructure” - presented in August 2025.
The PN said that while, at the time, the government did not take up this proposal and claimed it would be difficult to implement, it welcomed the plan.
“Underground bins are just one of the proposals outlined in the Innaddfu lil Malta document, which also includes increasing the frequency of waste collection through trucks with separated compartments, the introduction of electric waste fleets, the adoption of smart technology to improve route efficiency and more consistent enforcement of existing laws.”
PN said the government’s decision to adopt the proposal showed the Opposition was putting forward quality proposals and working to deliver well-researched solutions in the national interest.
“Through these measures, the Partit Nazzjonalista is already making an impact from the Opposition benches – let alone what it could achieve in government.”
Responding to the PN’s statement, Bedingfield said the idea to introduce underground bins was internally proposed shortly after he became parliamentary secretary in January 2024, well before the PN document was published.