With record breaking numbers, WasteServ processed and returned more than 20,000 tonnes of recyclable waste for reuse in the economy last year. This was by far the highest amount in Maltese history.

Simultaneously, there was a 23% reduction in the generation of mixed waste from households, meaning this is the lowest amount received by WasteServ in the last 20 years.

Daryl Cauchi 

Minister for the Environment, Energy and Regeneration of the Grand Harbour, Miriam Dalli announced these achievements during a press conference with WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca at the Multi-Material Recovery Facility in Ħal Far.

These results mark WasteServ's most successful year since its inception in 2002, affirming Malta's encouraging progress in the implementation of its long-term plans towards sustainable waste management.

Daryl Cauchi 

Commenting on these figures, Minister Miriam Dalli acknowledged and showed her gratefulness for the contribution of the public for their waste separation efforts.

“Such positive results can only be attributed to a collective effort – individuals, families, businesses, government entities, voluntary associations, and many others - who are understanding the importance of reducing and recycling waste to protect the environment and the future of our country”, the Minister expressed.

She went on to highlight how these achievements are also a result of the investment made in new plants that sustainably process waste. Additionally, this was a result of new initiatives introduced in Malta last year “such as differentiated gate fees for commercial waste, and the implementation of mandatory waste separation for all”. 

Minister Miriam Dalli now wants to take this success even further.

“Our country can achieve much more - we must continue working together to attain our ultimate objective of bringing down landfilling of waste to 10% by 2035. We will continue working towards a circular economy to ensure a more sustainable future for all”, she encouragingly continued.

During the press conference WasteServ explained that last year, various materials were processed and exported to international markets to be transformed into other products. These included:

• 8,199 tonnes of paper and cardboard;
• 2,206 tonnes of various metals;
• 7,411 tonnes of glass;
• 1,422 tonnes of different types of plastics;
• 142 tonnes of wood;
• 350 tonnes of gypsum;
• 297 tonnes of foam.

Additionally, the collection of organic waste is on the rise as there was a positive 35% increase in organic waste received from households and the commercial sector when compared to 2022.

This waste was converted into 4.1 million units of energy, powering a whopping 570 homes for a year.

WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca took this opportunity to thank WasteServ employees for their hard work and dedicated efforts in recent years.

Apart from the commendable efforts of WasteServ’s employees, these positive results can also be attributed to the opening of two new facilities in the past year, the CEO explained. The first one, located at the ECOHIVE Complex, involved a €4 million investment and commenced operations in March. The other, situated in Ħal Far, is a €22 million development that was inaugurated in June.

The work does not stop here as plenty of new projects are in the works for the near and distant future. These include a new automated glass sorting line scheduled to be operational by mid-2024. Also, as part of the ECOHIVE Strategy, a skip management facility is currently in the works. It will process bulky waste from open-topped skips. That’s not all, as a new organic waste processing facility will be built to replace the one being used right now.

Apart from all these exciting projects planned for the future “work on the waste-to-energy project is also progressing as the plant's excavation works were completed last year”, Richard Bilocca, the WasteServ CEO concluded.

For more information on waste separation and WasteServ's facilities visit wsm.com.mt.