St Paul's Bay
The largest tourist area in the north, taking in Bugibba, Qawra, Xemxija and Burmarrad under one council.
Bins out from
3am
Collection starts
7am
Council region
Northern Region
What it is like.
St Paul's Bay proper is an old fishing settlement. Bugibba and Qawra either side of it were purpose-built for holidays, and it shows in the hotels and apartment blocks around the rocky coast.
It is the most affordable concentration of holiday accommodation on the island, and the busiest in July and August.
There is no significant sand here either; swimming is off rock and off lidos, with the sandy beaches of Mellieha a bus ride north.
Getting around
A major bus hub, with direct routes to Valletta, Sliema, Mellieha and the Gozo ferry.
Worth going for.
- The Bugibba and Qawra promenade
- A long continuous seafront walk around the point.
- Malta National Aquarium
- On the Qawra front.
- St Paul's Islands
- Offshore, traditionally linked to the shipwreck of St Paul.
Running a short let in St Paul's Bay.
Estimated unlicensed
The sign at the door
Bags out
Sources: Amphora Media on licensing, and The Malta Independent on the 12 May 2026 enforcement package.
Which bag, which day.
The day schedule is national and has not changed since 2 January 2023. Only the collection time varies by locality, and in St Paul's Bay it is 7am.
Monday
Food and garden wasteWhite bag
Tuesday
General rubbishBlack bag
Wednesday
Food and garden wasteWhite bag
Thursday
RecyclingGrey or green bag
Friday
Food and garden wasteWhite bag
GlassReusable container, not a bag
Glass on the first and third Friday of the month only.
Saturday
General rubbishBlack bag
Sunday
No collection
Not the night before
Bags may go out up to 4 hours before collection, so from 3am in St Paul's Bay. Putting them out earlier, including the evening before, is an offence rather than a habit.
Fines of up to €300 have been reported for bags out more than 4 hours early, and up to €150 for the wrong day or the wrong bag. Enforcement is shared between LESA, the police and the local council. The Malta Independent. If your welcome pack says the night before, it is telling guests to do the thing that gets fined, and a waste breach established by another authority can reach your licence.
A missed collection
Northern Region covers San Pawl il-Bahar, not us. Email [email protected] or call 21572770.
Where this comes from
Published by ERA and WasteServ on wastecollection.mt. Last checked against the source on 3 August 2026. Bags may go out up to 4 hours before collection.
The week on one sheet, for St Paul's Bay
A landscape page with the seven days across it and the bag drawn on each, carrying the collection time and how early bags may go out. For the back of a cupboard door.
Bottles and cans carry a deposit.
Drinks containers sold in Malta carry a deposit of 10c, added at the till. It covers single-use cans and bottles holding between 0.1 and 3 litres, in aluminium, steel, glass or PET.
The deposit comes back as a voucher, taken off the bill at a retail shop. A container dropped in the grey or green recycling bag gives it up, and a guest checking out at the end of a stay usually has a fortnight of them in the flat.
BCRS Malta Ltd runs the scheme and puts over 300 return machines in supermarkets, larger beverage retailers and public recycling hubs. It does not publish them as a list, so its own finder is the only current source for which machine is nearest St Paul's Bay.
Published by BCRS Malta Ltd on bcrsmalta.mt. Last checked against the source on 8 August 2026. The scheme has run since 14 November 2022.
Getting to the airport.
The X1 to X4 airport buses were withdrawn on 20 April 2025 and replaced by Airport Direct. Listings and guidebooks still send guests to the X2 and the X3, which no longer run.
Airport Direct
- TD1
- Rabat, Bugibba, Mellieha and Cirkewwa. Runs every hour, at €3.50, and free with an Unlimited Travel Card. No booking: pay on board by cash or card.
Ordinary routes that call at the airport
- 214
- Marsa, Rabat and Bugibba.
Routes and fares published by Malta Public Transport, and the ordinary routes that call at the terminal by Malta International Airport. Last checked against both on 8 August 2026. Times are not repeated here because they change with the season, so take them from the journey planner on the day.