About 150,000 free bags will be distributed to all households in localities where councils are working within the waste recovery scheme known as GreenPak to promote "Recycling on Tuesday".

The extensive education campaign underpinning the initiative was launched yesterday at Kalkara by mayor Michael Cohen and GreenPak CEO Mario Schembri, in the presence of the Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs George Pullicino and the opposition spokesman for local government, Stefan Buontempo.

GreenPak is operated by Green Dot Malta.

As a first step, the education campaign will have representatives visiting Kalkara households to raise awareness about the importance of recycling and separating waste, to start recycling or, if they are already doing so, encourage them to continue with their recycling commitment. Mr Schembri said that leading GreenPak's team of trainers was waste education officer Kareena Mutch, who used to work for Waste Watch of the UK.

A GreenPak spokesman said the timing of the campaign was appropriate as fees incurred by local councils to send waste to a landfill drastically rose from 0.87c per tonne to €20 per tonne. Local councils, therefore, had to encourage citizens to recycle in order to contain the payment of the new fees.

The recycling advisers will be giving a free roll of green sacks to every Kalkara household together with a leaflet containing an educational message, explaining the small changes that can be made at every household to lessen the fees that local councils have to pay when disposing of waste in landfills.