Individuals and businesses caught depositing waste in the wrong waste bags will be liable to fines of up to €150, as the six-month educational period on the new mandatory waste separation regulations ends this week.

ERA officials and other enforcement officers will be continuing their inspections to ensure that households and businesses are separating waste properly in the three waste bags specified by law – using the white bag for organic waste, the grey or green bag for recyclable waste and the black bag strictly for other waste.

Enforcement officers are authorised by law to check bags taken out for collection by households and businesses, and to issue warnings and fines when waste items are found in the wrong bag:

From July 2024, transparent black bags will become mandatory instead of the current black bags for municipal waste collection, making it easier for enforcement officials to check the content of bags without opening them.

Meanwhile, separate fines of €150 continue to apply for people taking out waste bags on the wrong day. In January, regional councils launched a new municipal waste collection schedule for all localities.

Which waste should be taken out, and when?

Organic waste bags are collected on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while black bags are collected on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Grey or green bags for recyclable materials are collected every Thursday. Glass is collected on the first and third Friday of the month.      

Mandatory waste separation regulations were introduced in Malta last April, as ERA launched a six-month educational campaign to help the public gradually adapt to this new waste management system. 

During the last six months, ERA enforcement officers conducted more than 2,600 inspections to ascertain compliance with national waste schedule and educate on waste separation. 

In a statement, ERA encouraged the public to properly separate waste, to contribute to a more sustainable future and avoid the consequences of non-compliance.

By properly separating waste, households, businesses, government entities and other organisations can help increase the sustainable management of waste, to be recycled or processed to generate clean energy, while reducing the negative impacts of landfilling on the environment.

Through the Long-Term Waste Management Plan 2021-2030, Malta is working to reduce landfilling to 10% of total municipal waste by 2035.