[WATCH] 150,000 organic bins to be distributed nationwide

The government will be distributing some 150,000 organic waste bins to families in Malta and Gozo, in a bid by the Environment ministry to promote rubbish separation. 

A small green plastic basket will be given all families, who will be encouraged to line it with a specific white plastic bag in order to dispose of organic material. 

According to ministry representatives, the organic bin will be used to dispose of cooked and raw food, bones, bread and pasta, peels, tea bags, grinded coffee and soiled paper. 

The organic waste will be picked up three times a week, and will be used to generate gas at Malta’s waste processing facilities as well as to produce a form of soil fertilizer.   

Environment Minster José Herrera, kicked launched the scheme on Monday, handing out the first organic waste basket to a family in Hamrun. 

The initiative, which was first tested out in a pilot project, made people more aware of organic waste present in their rubbish, encouraging further waste separation, according to Herrera. 

The new system will be hoping to build on the pilot project's success, with the minister insisting on the importance of continuity to tackle the issue. 

“The new system will also hold legal repercussions, meaning that rather than recycling and separating at one’s own will, one will be legal obliged to do so,” Herrera said. 

Asked on what basis legal action will be taken, Herrera said that a legal framework is in the pipeline. 

The government will be also distributing four slightly larger bins, to encourage further separation. 

The bins, which are stackable and therefore requiring less space, will be used to discard glass, mixed recyclables, sanitary waste, and other waste.