Old metal ballot boxes are being reused as waste bins, giving a slightly different angle to the term 'wasted votes'.

The decision to reuse the ballot boxes was taken some months ago, when the Electoral Commission decided to switch to using plastic ballot boxes in elections,  Chief Electoral Commissioner Joseph Church said.

'Wasted votes' are votes which cannot be transferred between candidates and cannot be used to elect anyone.

But rather than votes, it is the ballot boxes which are going to waste, sort of.

Mr Church said the Electoral Commission approached the Cleansing Services Department and offered them the old ballot boxes to repurpose them as waste bins.

“We thought that we would try to use the boxes instead of getting rid of them,” he said.

Beach-goers contacted the Times of Malta after they saw some 15 ballot boxes dumped behind a container in Għajn Tuffieħa.

Mr Church said the Commission was informed of their use, and noted that people might see more ballot boxes on beaches in the future.

“The metal boxes have been in use for some 40 odd years,” Mr Church said, adding that the Commission had reached out to other agencies to offer them to take possession of the ballot boxes.

“The Electoral Commission wanted to try and find an alternative use for the boxes, before choosing the option to simply dispose of them,” Mr Church said.