Updated 10.17am

Recycling will be made compulsory under new waste separation laws currently being drafted, Environment Minister Jose Herrera said this morning.

The Circular Economy Act will require people to separate recyclable, organic and waste streams. It is expected to be opened to public consultation at the turn of the year. 

Dr Herrera said the government was eager to make "the greatest reforms" in waste management. 

Malta is currently staring down the barrel of a waste crisis, with the Magħtab landfill expected to fill up in less than two years. 

Dr Herrera also said that littering laws would be buttressed - something the government had mentioned during the Budget 2018 speech - with a new Littering Act also in the process of being drafted. 

The Environment Minister was speaking at the launch of a Green MT campaign to collect milk cartons in aid of annual charity telethon L-Istrina. 

Green MT's Tetra Għall-Istrina is seeking to collect 50 tonnes of milk cartons in six weeks.

The campaign will launch during the European Week of Waste Reduction, from 18 November.

Green MT will donate €60 for every tonne collected to L-Istrina.