Take Our Garbage Off the Streets – Underground Bins Across Malta & Gozo

Αίτηση προς: Government of Malta

PETITION: MAKE GARBAGE BAGS ON OUR STREETS A THING OF THE PAST
A call for underground waste collection systems across Malta & Gozo
We, the undersigned, call upon the Government of Malta and the relevant authorities to introduce a nationwide underground waste collection system across Malta and Gozo, replacing, wherever technically possible, the outdated practice of leaving garbage bags on our streets and pavements for collection.
The situation has gone beyond what should be considered acceptable.
Every single day, particularly in densely populated and tourism-heavy areas such as St Julian’s, Sliema and Swieqi, we see garbage bags lining pavements and street corners.
We see bags being torn open, rubbish scattered across streets, waste exposed to wind and rain, and people opening other people’s garbage bags and leaving their contents behind. Bottles, food waste and other rubbish end up scattered across our public spaces.
Residents report it. Councils clean it. Enforcement officers deal with it. Waste collectors return to it. And then, the following day, the cycle starts all over again.
Meanwhile, photographs and videos of garbage-filled streets are constantly shared on social media, creating endless negativity and portraying Malta as dirty and badly managed.
This should not be normal in 2026.
Malta has changed enormously. Our population has grown, tourism has increased, short-let accommodation has expanded and thousands of residents, workers and visitors live completely different schedules.
Yet we are still expecting bags of household waste to be placed directly onto pavements according to specific collection days and times.
It is time for the infrastructure to change.
We are calling for strategically located underground waste collection points throughout Malta and Gozo, with separate compartments for the appropriate waste streams and modern collection systems.
The objective should ultimately be simple:
No more household garbage bags lining our streets.
An underground system would help keep waste contained and out of sight, reduce bags being ripped open or interfered with, prevent rubbish being blown around by wind or affected by rain, reduce smells and improve hygiene, keep pavements clearer and make proper waste disposal easier for residents and visitors.
It could also reduce the enormous amount of time and resources currently being spent dealing with repeated complaints, enforcement, additional cleaning and the consequences of incorrectly disposed waste.
Where operationally possible, collection could also take place during quieter hours, reducing the impact of refuse vehicles on already congested roads.
Stop fighting the same problem every day
Education and enforcement are important, but there comes a point when we have to ask ourselves:
How many more years are we going to spend educating, fining, reporting, cleaning and arguing about garbage bags?
When the same problem happens repeatedly, despite enforcement campaigns and public awareness, we need to look at the system itself.
This is not about blaming Maltese people, foreigners, tourists, short-let guests or any particular group.
It is about creating a waste system that works for the Malta and Gozo of today.
People should be given a clean, accessible and practical way to dispose of properly separated waste without placing bags directly onto public pavements.
Our streets are not rubbish collection points.
Our pavements should not be storage areas for garbage bags.
And seeing household waste piled outside our homes, businesses and tourist areas should become a thing of the past.
We therefore call upon the Government to develop and fund a national programme for underground waste collection across Malta and Gozo, starting implementation as soon as possible and progressively replacing street-level garbage bags wherever technically feasible.
We spend enormous amounts of public resources dealing with the consequences of the current system.
It is time to invest those resources in fixing the problem at its source.
Malta and Gozo deserve cleaner streets, better infrastructure and a modern waste-management system fit for the country we are today.
TAKE OUR GARBAGE OFF THE STREETS.
MOVE MALTA & GOZO’S WASTE UNDERGROUND.
If you believe garbage bags on our streets should become a thing of the past, sign and share this petition.