Separate collection of waste fractions gained momentum last year with the bulk of such waste collected from civic amenity sites, the National Statistics Office said.

It said in a statement on the management of solid waste that the waste collected from these sites last year registered an increase of 30.6 per cent when compared to the previous year.

On the other hand, the collection of separated waste from bring-in sites decreased by 13.2 per cent. However, the increase in waste amounts collected through the grey bag scheme in 2009 amounted to 2,513 tonnes.

The NSO said that waste disposed in public landfills last year dropped by 6.1 per cent when compared to the previous year.

From 2004 to 2009, the different waste streams which were generated in Malta necessitated treatment through various disposal and recovery operations. Disposal operations for non-hazardous mineral waste, mainly generated by construction and demolition activities, treated an annual average of 81.8 per cent of the total waste managed in approved facilities during the period under review.