Waste management in Malta has been an issue of discussion for a while, especially with the introduction of mandatory separation, and a homogenized nation-wide collection-schedule. GuideMeMalta.com sat down with Mark Sultana, Team Manager Compliance and Enforcement at the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), who sounded upbeat about future prospects in this field.

“Like every change, it starts with every individual,” Mark declares as he reflects on the promising results achieved recently. “Waste separation in Malta started slow, but we’re on the right track! We have a long way to go, to achieve the goals we set ourselves, but the past months have been very encouraging.”

Mark explains that similar to any new system, teething problems were experienced, especially with members of the public confusing collection days, and placing the wrong garbage on their doorstep. “This was expected, especially in the context that up till recently, waste collection was hardly taken seriously by anyone. Naturally we engaged in a wide-spread campaign to educate the public about the dates of collection, and more importantly what can or cannot be disposed of in the specific bag.

While we did have some pockets of apparent resistance, on closer analysis these were attributed to the fact that the areas would be inhabited by a higher density of visiting tenants who would not be familiar with the established routines. Campaigning and education hence played an even larger role here,” Mark explains.

Malta has placed the waste-separation conundrum on the back burner for long enough, and the authority responsible for the field is determined to get all players and stakeholders to collaborate for one unified aim – waste management that is sustainable and responsible. The public plays a pivotal role in this equation.

“Through our informative campaign ‘Facli Tissepara’ (Separation is Easy), we want to underscore the values of effective waste separation, both to permanent residents as well as our esteemed visitors who choose our islands to spend their well-earned rest. With easy-to-follow instructions, we want to get our message across that with a small amount of effort on everyone’s side, we can make an enormous difference on a national level.”

And it seems to be working. In fact, ERA noted how the amount of collected waste, which was dutifully separated, has increased in the past months. There has also been an increase of an impressive 35% in the collection of organic waste which now is being collected on three days of the week.

“The public is understanding how separating waste can become second nature, and part of their daily routine, requiring minimal effort in the long run,” Mark continues.

In a country where enforcement is rather lacking, ERA, as the authority responsible for the field, is keeping it’s part of the deal, as enforcement efforts have also been sharpened. “Naturally, like with anything else, we also had to send a clear message, that ignoring the new regulations was no longer acceptable. For this reason, fines were introduced to encourage people to adhere to the waste-separation regulations.”

“Our combination of education and enforcement is proving to be effective in our mission, yet we have a long way to go. We need to increase the amount of recycled waste we collect which currently stands at a very humble 10%. Our goal is to make that 90%, as we slowly phase out the mixed black bag altogether, in the long run,” Mark explains.

The National Strategy for the Environment 2050 inspires all of ERA’s efforts. “This wide-ranging policy aspires to take Malta’s environment to the next level in several fields, no less waste-management,” says Mark. “Ultimately, we strongly believe that environmental health is as important, if not more valuable than financial and economic matters. As more and more people are coming to this agreement, at ERA we are making sure to lead the way in this regard.”

Visit wastecollection.mt to find out more about waste separation in Malta.