Each Person In Malta Generated A Fridge’s Weight In Waste Last Year

Malta generated 353,525 tonnes of municipal waste in 2024, an increase of 6.1% over the previous year.

This rise is equal to adding more than 20,000 tonnes of waste, roughly the weight of 1,400 full buses.

When counting both residents and tourists, each person produced around 574 kg of waste, about as heavy as a large fridge per person.

The amount of waste that was treated also increased, reaching 322,119 tonnes, which is 3.1% more than in 2023.

Most of this treated waste, 79.2%, ended up in landfills, meaning nearly eight out of every ten bags of rubbish were buried. Recycling improved slightly, with an additional 1,723 tonnes processed, bringing the total recycled material to 58,156 tonnes.

The biggest increases in waste came from gardens and parks, which added 5,910 tonnes, as well as from kitchens and canteens, which added 5,826 tonnes.

“Other” waste rose by 4,082 tonnes. These increases reflect more garden maintenance and higher food-related waste.

Meanwhile, mixed black-bag waste fell by 2,642 tonnes, and smaller declines were recorded for metals and glass.

Waste collected through street cleaning, organic bins, and other collection types also went up, while waste from businesses, civic amenity sites, and household black bags decreased slightly.

Recycling trends showed that paper and cardboard remained the most recycled materials, making up 60% of all recycling in 2024.

Significant increases were seen in recycling kitchen waste, paper, and plastic, while textiles, glass, and metals saw notable drops.

Waste treated for energy recovery decreased by 17%, and items prepared for re-use fell slightly by 1.6%. Overall, the report shows that Malta created more waste in 2024 but also recycled a bit more, while still relying heavily on landfills to manage most of the country’s rubbish.

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