Ministry makes a mess of legal notice on waste

An entire section of new regulations on waste separation, published just last week, will have to be thrown into the rubbish bin. In an embarrassing oversight, the Environment Ministry mistakenly exempted most localities from the collection of white bags – intended for organic waste – just one month before the launch of the scheme. Meanwhile, the ministry is mounting an aggressive campaign to raise awareness about the new laws, which are to apply nationwide.  However, it must now recycle the law by not later than October 31, the date set by the government for the introduction of white bags in all localities. Failure to meet this deadline would mean the new regulations being unenforceable with residents in most parts of Malta and Gozo. Issued on September 20, legal notice 296 carries a detailed list of domestic waste collection schedules across all local councils. Apart from the familiar black bag used for mixed waste and the grey bags intended for paper, plastic and metal objects, the legal notice includes green bags for garden waste, such as clippings, logs, leaves and flowers, and the white bags for organic or biodegradable refuse, such as food and kitchen waste. However, it...