Waste Statistics

Under the Environment Protection Act (Cap 549), the ERA is responsible for collecting, storing, and providing public access to environmental information. As of 1 October 2024, in line with Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 223/2009, the ERA has been officially designated as an Other National Authority (ONA) for waste-related statistics. In this role, the ERA will oversee the collection, analysis, and reporting of waste-related statistical data in Malta.

Relevance

The ERA gathers data on waste generation, collection, and treatment to support the development of strategies, plans, policies, and legislative measures aimed at waste reduction and better treatment. Additionally, this data is used to fulfil Malta’s reporting obligations under various EU legislations and to assess the country’s progress in meeting waste management targets. Below are waste related statistics reported by Malta to both Eurostat and the European Environment Agency (EEA):

Waste Framework Directive (WFD) – Directive 2008/98/EC:

1. 1. • Municipal waste generated and prepared for reuse and recycled;
      • Construction and demolition waste generated and recovered;
      • Mineral or synthetic lubrication or industrial oils placed on the market and waste oils generated, collected and treated;
      • Food waste generated during the five stages of the food supply chain; and
      • Amount of textiles, electrical and electronic equipment, furniture and construction material and products reused.

Landfill Directive 1999/31/EC:

1. 1. • Municipal waste generated and landfilled; and
      • Bio-degradable municipal waste landfilled.

Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive 94/62/EC:

1. 1. • Packaging placed on the market and packaging waste generated and recycled; and
      • Consumption of lightweight plastic carrier bags.

Waste electrical and electronic equipment Directive 2012/19/EU:

1. 1. • Electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market and waste electrical and electronic equipment collected, treated, recovered and prepared for reuse and recycled.

Waste batteries and accumulators Directive 2006/66/EC:

1. 1. • Sales of portable batteries and waste portable batteries collected and recycling efficiency of waste batteries recycled.

End-of-life Vehicles Directive 2000/53/EC:

1. 1. • End-of-life vehicles generated and treated including reuse, recycling and recovered.

Waste Shipment Regulation 2024/1157:

1. 1. • Exports and imports of waste and its final treatment.

Sewage sludge Directive 86/278/EEC:

1. 1. • Sewage sludge generated and coordinates of application on agricultural land.

Single-use plastic Directive 2019/904/EC:

1. 1. • Cups for beverage and food containers placed on the market;
      • Plastic bottles separately collected;
      • Fishing gear containing plastic placed on the market and waste fishing gear containing plastic collected;
      • Recycled content in SUP beverage bottles; and
      • Post consumption waste from filters from tobacco products.

Methodological description

In line with relevant legislation, economic operators, including waste management facilities, waste brokers, Producer Responsibility Organisations and Regional Councils are required to report data to ERA based on their respective permitted activities. Such economic operators are required to report data on templates established by the Authority to ensure data collection is harmonised and comparable across different economic operators, thus allowing the ERA to fulfil Malta’s reporting obligations.

The Authority validates the submitted data to ensure its accuracy and reliability. During this process, ERA may request additional information or clarifications from operators. Once the validation process is complete, ERA uses the data submitted by the economic operators to compile national statistics in line with EU reporting obligations. Additionally, ERA conducts time-series crosschecks to assess Malta’s performance against waste management targets set by EU legislation.

The compilation of certain reports also require data from various sources, including National Statistics Office (NSO), Circular Economy Malta (CEMalta), Transport Malta (TM), Water Services Corporation (WSC) and Department of Customs.

Furthermore, ERA relies on various studies conducted on a periodic basis for the compilation of several reports. These include compositional analyses of different waste streams, as well as surveys targeting households and other economic operators.

Accuracy and reliability of data

The ERA conducts a thorough verification and validation process on the data submitted by all economic operators. This process involves checking for implausible values, identifying inconsistencies across different reporting years, detecting missing data, and flagging discrepancies between facilities. When anomalies or issues are found, ERA contacts the respective data providers to request clarification, corrections, or confirmation of the figures submitted. These quality control procedures play a critical role in ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of national waste statistics, thereby supporting effective monitoring, reporting, and policy-making.

Timeliness and punctuality of data

The data for the abovementioned reports is transmitted to Eurostat or the EEA within 18 months after the end of the reference year.

At a national level, annual data on packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment and waste batteries is published on ERA’s website within 23 months after the end of the reference year, in line with the schedule set out in the Advance Release Calendar.

Accessibility and clarity of data

Accessibility and clarity of data are essential principles that ensure information is both usable and understandable by a wide range of stakeholders. Published data is accessible on ERA’s website. Furthermore, each statistical report is accompanied by a quality report. This report provides an overview of the main sources, methodologies and main assumptions used to calculate the reported figures. A metadata report is compiled and made available on ERA’s website. The metadata reports provide detailed information about the reported dataset, enabling users to understand its structure, content, origin, and appropriate use.

Advanced Release Calendar

Upcoming publication of data

In addition to the above, the NSO issues annual news releases on the Management of Solid Waste and on the Management of Municipal Waste in Malta. These releases are accessible via the following link.