Malta Records EU’s Lowest Waste Generation Per Person: 36% Less Than EU Average

Malta recorded the lowest level of waste generation per person in the European Union in 2024, while continuing to narrow the gap with the EU average for plastic packaging recycling, according to the latest Eurostat figures.

The data shows that Malta generated 1,092kg of waste per person, around 36% below the EU average. Meanwhile, the country's plastic packaging recycling rate reached 35.1%, reducing the gap with the European average of 42.4% to 7.3 percentage points.

The improvement marks a significant change from 2022, when Malta's plastic packaging recycling rate was 26.7 percentage points below the EU average and ranked last among EU countries.

The rate increased to 31.9% in 2023 before rising further in 2024.

WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca said the results reflect major changes to Malta's waste management system, including investment in recycling infrastructure and reforms to waste collection.

He said that while progress had been made, continued efforts were needed to close the remaining gap and maintain improvements.

Minister for the Environment Miriam Dalli said the latest figures show that Malta is continuing to improve its performance and expressed confidence that the country will eventually reach and surpass the EU average for plastic packaging recycling.

Recent reforms include the introduction of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme in November 2022, regionalised waste collection in January 2023 and mandatory waste separation for households and businesses from April 2023.

WasteServ has also invested in new recycling facilities following the 2017 Sant’Antnin fire, including a €4 million material recovery facility at the ECOHIVE Complex, which can process up to 40,000 tonnes of recyclable waste annually.

The company also reported a 23% reduction in mixed household waste received in 2023, while separately collected organic waste increased by 35% compared with the previous year.

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