Families residing in the participating nine localities of the Organic Waste Pilot Project have separated over 1.4 million kilograms of organic waste since the project kicked off last October.

This is equivalent to the weight of approximately 115 standard-size buses.

The pilot project falls under the remit of the Environment Ministry and is coordinated by Wasteserv Malta. The localities of Birkirkara, Cospicua, Għaxaq, Mdina and Ta’ Xbiex were the first five localities to join in October last year, followed by Kirkop, Marsaxlokk, Mġarr and Swieqi in January this year.

With Gozo scheduled to join the project at the end of the month, collection rates of organic waste are bound to increase further, with multiple positive effects on the environment.

Primary among these is the diversion of food waste away from the black bag and away from landfills. Recent studies found that roughly half of black bag waste in Malta contains food. The extension to Gozo also means that, for the first time, waste management will be tackled at regional level, since all Gozitan localities will be joining the project as a region.

Interim results of the project show that participation has increased steadily not only in terms of organic waste. There was also had a positive knock-on effect on the amount of separated recyclables collected via the grey bag.

Feedback received from residents shows that a key ingredient for the success of the project is the type of receptacle chosen for the collection of this waste.

The ventilated bins, distributed free of charge to all participating households, are designed to slow down the waste degradation process and minimise the water generated from waste, thus lessening odours in the home.

The free distribution of compostable bags was also a common point praised by many families.

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