Updated May 23, 2.14 pm

Environment enforcement officers have tracked down and fined a woman who was filmed throwing garbage bags onto the street from a fourth-floor balcony in St Paul's Bay.

Footage of the abuse was uploaded on Times of Malta on May 16. 

The Environment and Resources Authority said its enforcement officers had identified the person in question, spoke to her, and the applicable fine has been issued.

In the video, the woman at first appeared to be making some effort to land her rubbish on a pile of other bags outside the apartment block, but even this consideration soon seemed to disappear and the bags started raining down haphazardly into an on-street parking spot. 

Under a new recycling scheme introduced late last year, individuals who break garbage collection rules can be subjected to fines of between €150 and €500.

Households must separate their waste and place organic material in white bags while using the black bags for mixed waste. Items that are recyclable, such as paper, plastic and metals, are collected separately.