New regulations enforcing mandatory waste separation come into force today, the Environment and Resources Authority said.
Separating waste at source helps reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or is improperly disposed of. Properly separating waste enables more effective recycling, reducing the need for new raw materials and decreasing the environmental impact of waste disposal and landfills. It is for this reason that the mandatory separation of waste has been made mandatory, starting today.
The regulations are applicable to everyone, including businesses, households, governmental and non-governmental entities and follow a nation-wide public consultation held last year. This means that as of today, everyone is obliged to dispose of waste adequately.
To help disseminate educational information, ERA said it will be embarking on a six-month educational campaign. In parallel during these six months, enforcement officials will monitor the streets to ensure adherence to the regulations. Then, as of 14 October 2023, fines will also come into force. Anyone caught disposing of waste illegally will receive a warning. Repeat offenders will face fines, starting at €75 for businesses and €25 for households. These will double for repeat offenders.
ERA CEO, Kevin Mercieca, said that the implementation and eventual enforcement of this legislation helps us progress from the written objectives of the national waste management plan to concrete and implementable measures on the ground.
“This is expected to deliver real change in terms of the amounts of waste the Maltese manage to effectively separate at source. Such initiatives will increase recycling and prevent significant amounts of waste from ending up in landfills,” Mr Mercieca said.
The Regulations step up Malta’s efforts in creating a stronger policy to promote more waste recycling and to drastically reduce mixed waste to landfills by 2035. Adherence to the regulations will also help improve cleanliness in residential areas and commercial districts and discourage irregular dumping of waste bags in public areas.
Similarly, they seek to support Malta’s efforts in reducing the use of landfills. Currently, 90% of Malta’s municipal waste ends up in landfills, against the 2035 target of 10%.
ERA encouraged everyone to do their part and dispose of waste properly: separation is easy.
For more information visit era.org.mt and wsm.com.mt