Is municipal waste increasing?

Municipal waste is the fraction most closely related to household and commercial consumption, and after inert waste, is also increasing rapidly.

The amount of municipal waste collected annually increased by 57 per cent between 1996 and 2004, most likely due to increased packaging. However the increase since weighbridges were installed at Maghtab and Sant'Antnin in 1997 was of 37 per cent. In 2003, municipal waste collected in Malta was 625kg/capita (rising from 593 in 2001), while the EU25 average was estimated at 534kg/capita.

A 2003 NSO survey indicated that between 58 per cent and 66 per cent of the waste generated by households is biodegradable and in the northwest, which is less urbanised, the fraction of biodegradable waste is higher.

The survey also indicates that 37 per cent of municipal waste consists of packaging, which is still strongly coupled with economic growth and consumption patterns. In 2004, packaging waste represented approximately three per cent of total waste generated.

The State of the Environment Report 2005 is a Mepa publication available on www.mepa.org.mt

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