Malta generated almost 2.9 million tonnes of waste in 2023, almost 200,000 tonnes more than the previous year, national statistics show.

But this remains below the levels recorded in 2019 and 2020, when waste topped the 3.6 million tonne mark.

Most of Malta’s waste is construction waste, which reached almost 2.2 million tonnes in 2023, more than any year since 2020.

But Malta has seemingly managed to cut down on household waste, which dropped to a little over 209,000 tonnes, an almost 10% from the previous year.

Nevertheless, 280,000 tonnes of waste were added to Malta’s landfills in 2023.

Meanwhile, a little over 1.6 million tonnes of waste generated in Malta was recycled in Malta, with a further 690,000 tonnes used for backfilling, a process whereby waste is used for landscaping or slope reclamation.

Fewer grey bags collected

The figures also indicate that the introduction of BCRS has cut down on door-to-door grey garbage bag collection. The scheme, which charges consumers a 10 cent deposit on bottles that is redeemed when the empties are returned, was introduced in November 2022.

The data, which covers 2023, shows that 22,500 tonnes of waste were collected through the grey bags, down from over 27,000 the previous year.

Meanwhile, almost 10,000 tonnes were collected through BCRS in its first full year in operation.

The drop in grey bag collection is “mainly in response to the implementation of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme,” NSO said.

The data also suggests that the civic amenity sites littered across the island are becoming more popular, with over 41,000 tonnes of waste being disposed of at the sites, far more than the 34,000 tonnes the previous year.