The Environment and Resources Authority warned that as from tomorrow, Sunday the 15th of October, individuals and businesses caught depositing waste in the wrong waste bags will be liable to fines of up to €150.

The six-month educational period on the new mandatory waste separation regulations ends this week.

Whoever is caught disposing of waste incorrectly will be fined €75 for businesses and €25 for households. These fines will double to €150 and €50 respectively if the individual is caught repeatedly disposing of waste inappropriately.

This means that the public are no longer allowed to dispose of organic waste in the black bag which now has to be put into the designated white bag.

The same applies to recyclable waste such as plastic and paper and other materials which have to be separated and disposed of in the grey bag designated for recycling.

Glass is no longer allowed to be put in the black or grey bag but must instead be separated and taken out for municipal door-to-door collection by itself every first and third Friday of the month, as per existing municipal waste collection schedule.

From July 2024 transparent black bags will become mandatory instead of the current black bags for municipal waste collection, making it easier for enforcement officials to check the content of bags without opening them.

In the coming weeks, ERA said that its officials and other enforcement officers will be continuing inspections across Malta and Gozo, to ensure that households and businesses are separating waste properly.

Photo: ERA

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