Malta has recorded the lowest waste generation per person in the European Union, while making significant strides in closing the gap with Europe’s plastic packaging recycling rates.According to the latest Eurostat figures, Malta generated 1,092kg of waste per person in 2024, around 36% less than the EU average.And there’s more good news on the recycling front.Malta’s plastic packaging recycling rate climbed to 35.1% in 2024, just 7.3 percentage points below the EU average of 42.4%.That’s a major turnaround from 2022, when Malta ranked at the bottom of the EU table, trailing the European average by a staggering 26.7 percentage points.The biggest leap came in 2023, when the recycling rate shot up to 31.9%, before increasing further the following year.WasteServ CEO Richard Bilocca welcomed the figures, crediting improvements in recycling infrastructure, changes to waste collection and, crucially, the public’s efforts to separate waste.“We have invested in better facilities and changed the way waste is collected and processed, but none of this would have had the same impact without people making the effort to separate their waste,” Bilocca said.“There is still a gap to close, and we cannot afford to become complacent, but these results show how much progress can be made when everyone plays their part.”Environment Minister Miriam Dalli also welcomed the progress, expressing confidence that Malta could eventually surpass the EU average for plastic packaging recycling.Several major changes have helped reshape the country’s waste management system in recent years.These include the introduction of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme in November 2022, regionalised waste collection in January 2023, and mandatory waste separation for households and businesses in April 2023.WasteServ has also been rebuilding Malta’s recycling infrastructure following the devastating 2017 Sant’Antnin fire, which destroyed the country’s main material recovery facility.In March 2023, a new €4 million recycling facility opened at the ECOHIVE Complex, with the capacity to process up to 40,000 tonnes of recyclable material every year.The results are also being felt beyond plastic packaging.In 2023, WasteServ reported a 23% drop in mixed household waste received and a 35% increase in separately collected organic waste compared to the previous year.The company also processed and exported 1,422 tonnes of plastic for recycling overseas that year.While Malta still has some catching up to do when it comes to plastic recycling, the latest figures suggest the country is moving in the right direction.Do you think Malta has become better at separating and recycling waste in recent years?•