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The Ministry for Environment, Climate Change and Planning has launched its Waste Management Plan 2021 – 2030, which addresses improved waste prevention and management. Malta’s annual municipal waste generated per capita is one of the highest in the European Union, while its recycling rate is one of the lowest.
The plan focuses on four main areas:
Waste prevention: the objective is to promote resource and waste efficiency. This can be achieved by incentivizing greener business processes and promoting smarter consumption patterns among the population.
Waste collection reform: aims at creating an efficient collection system. The plan outlines measures that balance the collection frequencies of different waste streams to encourage source separation and minimize residual waste. The chapter also sets out to reform waste collection services by moving towards a regionalised approach leading to increased economies of scale and better utilization of a modern vehicle fleet thus optimising investment costs.
Waste management and resource optimisation: it is of paramount importance that any waste generated is efficiently and effectively treated in order to minimise its environmental footprint whilst maximising its potential as a resource. Among the recommended measures are ensuring that waste management costs are borne by producers, implementing measures to incentivise waste prevention and reduce residual waste, and investing in both new and existing waste management facilities.
To support the implementation of these initiatives, the Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning will engage with stakeholders and collaborate across the public and private sectors in order to foster a culture of resource efficiency, create new business opportunities, invest heavily in necessary infrastructure and support voluntary initiatives which promote the prevention and sustainable management of waste.
