Malta has a serious garbage problem. Every night, bags are left on the ground, leaving the country dirty, smelly, and uncared for.

Many tourists and non-Maltese inhabitants are unaware of the rubbish disposal timetable too, which means that waste will always be found in the streets. 

 

Many stray cats are found around Maltese streets, ripping open the bags at night in search of food, which in turn attracts rats and cockroaches. 

 

The issue is making headlines not only in Malta, but also around the world, earning Malta a negative reputation. Whatever the cost of this project, it will always be less costly than jeopardising Malta's reputation and, as a result, giving Malta less and lower-quality tourism in the future.

Going quickly through the internet we can find many opinions on the matter:

 

We propose a very easy approach to keeping the streets clean by allowing individuals to dispose of their rubbish at any time, and in a clean and efficient manner. 

The idea of putting large bins in the streets has been done for years in other EU countries, and these same countries used to have their garbage disposal done differently and had to adjust.

There are numerous advantages of having containers:

- Cleaner streets;
- People can dispose of their waste at any time, day or night;
- No ripped bags that attract cats, rats, and cockroaches;
- No foul odours; and
- Avoiding health concerns for ourselves and our pets

The health risks caused by Malta’s current situation are enormous. The presence of rats, as well as trash such as used condoms and needles pose a large threat. These can transmit major infections and even sexually transmitted diseases to ourselves (like if we step on a used needle wearing flip-flops), to our children while they run around, and to our pets, who can easily eat any trash laying around.

Some examples of the diseases that can be transmitted through exposure to these are:

- HIV; 
- Hepatitis B; and
- Hepatitis C.

 

We understand that space is limited in some areas of Malta, which is the reason why we suggest 3 different types of containers which would be chosen depending on the area limitations:

- Small skips (approx. 1100 litres)

- Big skips (approx. 2400-3200 litres)

- Underground skips ( approx. 2500-5000 litres)

When there is no space available in the street to have normal skips, the alternative of having underground containers is extremely efficient. This method is being used in many EU cities.

 

 

Containers placement

The placement of the containers would be dependent on several factors:

1.     Garbage disposal per area: calculating the number of containers required per zone requires estimating the amount of waste disposed per area.  

2.     Detection of objects that interfere: evaluating the barriers and/or restrictions of each zone and working around them to always provide the correct garbage disposal system.

3.     Physical characteristics of the street: For example, if the street is on a downhill, skips with wheels will be avoided. Additionally, the size of the rubbish bins will be determined by the size of the streets. If there is no capacity for overground skips, underground disposal systems should be created.

4.     Containers must be installed in visible and accessible areas for users. 

5.     The proximity is very important between the containers and the households, it needs to be made as comfortable as possible for the garbage disposal.

 

Pick up

Having the containers but not picking up the waste is pointless; it must be assessed how frequently the waste must be picked up by garbage trucks. 

The collection system can be maintained as is by having individuals pick up the bags and dispose of them to the vehicles (but this time from the containers rather than the floor). 

However, an immediate solution would be to update the garbage trucks, making the job easier and faster for the disposal teams. This would imply having vehicles equipped with hooks that could pick up and unload containers in seconds. This would be very beneficial for large skips.

 

Big skips & underground disposal

 

Small skips disposal

 

We are not asking for a luxury service; rather, we are requesting that the government listens to all those affected by this issue and upgrades Malta's garbage disposal system. In this regard, we lag far behind other EU countries, and all we need is a long-term plan to dispose of our rubbish.

We want a cleaner and safer Malta for everyone.