Question 1

Which bag goes out on which day in Malta?

Accepted Answer

The day schedule is national and identical in every locality. Monday and Wednesday are food and garden waste in a white bag. Tuesday and Saturday are general rubbish in a black bag. Thursday is recycling. Friday is food and garden waste, with glass on the first and third Friday of the month. There is no collection on Sunday. Only the collection time varies by locality.

Question 2

Can I put my rubbish out the night before in Malta?

Accepted Answer

No. The rule is up to 4 hours before the collection time of your locality, so in most places that is the same morning, and in Sliema, which collects at 7pm, it is from 3pm. Bags put out earlier than that, including the evening before, are an offence: fines of up to €300 have been reported for bags out more than four hours early, and up to €150 for the wrong day or the wrong bag, enforced by LESA, the police and the local council. Many short-let listings still tell guests to put bags out the night before, and that advice is wrong.

Question 3

How early can I put rubbish bags out in Malta?

Accepted Answer

Up to 4 hours before the collection time of your locality, which is the wording used on wastecollection.mt. Collection times differ by locality, so four hours before means a different clock time in each one: 3am in a locality collecting at 7am, and 3pm in Sliema, which collects at 7pm.

Question 4

What is the fine for putting rubbish out at the wrong time in Malta?

Accepted Answer

Up to €300 has been reported for putting bags out more than four hours before the collection time, and up to €150 for putting them out on the wrong day or putting waste in the wrong bag. Enforcement is shared between LESA, the police and the local council. For a licensed short let this is more than a fine: a waste breach established by another authority can be grounds for the MTA to suspend or withdraw the licence.

Question 5

Do all Malta localities collect waste at the same time?

Accepted Answer

No. The day schedule is national but the time is set locality by locality across all 68 local councils, and two collect in the evening rather than the morning. Sliema starts at 7pm on weekdays and 1pm on Saturdays, and Dingli starts at 6.30pm.

Waste collection in Malta, locality by locality.

Which bag, which day.

Not the night before

The week on one sheet

Find your locality.

Eastern Region

Port Region

Northern Region

Western Region

Southern Region

Gozo Region

Guests get this wrong, and the neighbours report it.