Throughout the summer months, workers from the Cleaning and Maintenance Division carried out nearly 800 scheduled interventions per week, the Ministry for Local Government and Public Works said in a statement. Their work across roads, public spaces, and coastal areas in Malta spanned dozens of localities-efforts that will continue into the autumn months-to ensure these areas remain clean, well-maintained, and accessible to local communities and visitors alike.
On 20 September, the Minister for Local Government and Public Works Alison Zerafa Civeli visited the Division's workers, highlighting the extensive and ongoing work carried out across Malta during the summer season.
The summer operational schedule included 112 different routes for cleaning roads and public spaces, totalling 588 scheduled interventions per week. In addition, there were 32 routes specifically dedicated to beaches and coastal areas, amounting to a further 209 weekly interventions during the summer period. In total, the Division's operations amounted to up to 797 scheduled interventions per week, encompassing both urban cleaning and coastal maintenance.
Zerafa Civelli emphasised that this ongoing commitment clearly demonstrates the priority the government places on the quality of life and cleanliness in all localities.
"The public expects high-quality public services and a clean environment, and the tireless work of our employees is a testament to a government that does not merely operate at the peak of summer but delivers tangible results for communities throughout the entire year," the Minister said.
She said that the government will continue to invest in the best resources and technology to ensure the Division possesses all the necessary tools to deliver a standard of cleanliness befitting all Maltese and Gozitan families. Director General of the Cleansing and Maintenance Division Jude Zammit explained that the work carried out by the Division's personnel was not limited to street sweeping; it also encompassed the manual sweeping of main and residential roads, the collection of waste and refuse bags, bin cleaning and maintenance, the removal of litter, the cleaning of public spaces, washing and deep cleaning operations, mechanical sweeping, as well as cleanup activities following events and interventions carried out overnight.
Regarding beaches and coastal areas, workers continued with foreshore cleaning, the emptying and cleaning of bins, the collection of refuse bags, daytime litter picking, and-where necessary-mechanical sand cleaning. At the peak of the summer season, the programme for beaches and coastal areas alone accounted for approximately 3,744 working hours per week, distributed across eight coastal zones.
To ensure this work is carried out continuously and efficiently, the workforce utilises a combination of road sweepers, waste collection vehicles, tippers and support vehicles, road washers, mobile equipment, and-where required-specialised machinery for beaches and coastal areas. Despite the use of machinery, manual work remains an essential component of the service, particularly in areas inaccessible to machinery or where more detailed work is required. To carry out this work, the Division utilised a fleet of 204 specialised assets and vehicles.
This work will continue in the coming months, the Ministry said, with operations adapted to weather conditions and the changing needs of the season.