Bulky refuse in Malta: how collection works and what to do before you put it out

Bulky refuse in Malta is a local council service. If you have a sofa, a mattress or an old wardrobe to get rid of, phone the council of the locality you live in, tell them what you have, and they tell you when to have it ready outside your home [2]. Most localities now have this service [2]. This guide covers who to call, what the rules tend to be, where the rest can go, and what to do with something that still works.

How bulky refuse collection works in Malta

Two bodies are easy to mix up:

• Your local council runs the collection from your door [1][2].
• WasteServ runs the Civic Amenity Sites, where you bring waste yourself [1].

Your ordinary household bags are a separate service again, run by the Regional Councils since January 2023 [2]. So the first call about a wardrobe goes to your council, not to WasteServ.

The rules are set locality by locality. WasteServ keeps them in one place: on its Civic Amenity Sites page, under Bulky Waste Collection, you choose your locality and it shows the collection days, the council’s phone number, what is not accepted and usually the item limit [1]. That list is the page to check, because a table copied into a guide like this one goes out of date.

How to book a collection with your local council

1. Find your locality in WasteServ’s list and note the days and the phone number [1].
2. Phone the council and say what you want collected [2]. Have the list of items ready, including how many there are.
3. Put it out when they tell you, and not before [2].

These four entries show how much the details differ. They are as WasteServ listed them on 2 November 2026 [1]:

Some entries add a booking rule. Il-Furjana asks for bookings by noon of the previous day, and Is-Swieqi collects Monday to Friday according to demand [1]. So ask how much notice they need if you are working to a date, such as the end of a lease.

What councils usually take, and what they do not

WasteServ’s list says what each locality refuses rather than what it takes, so name each item when you phone [1]. Reading its entries on 2 November 2026:

• Construction waste is the item refused most often. Few localities take any: Ħaż-Żabbar lists it as accepted, Ħaż-Żebbuġ and Pembroke accept small quantities, and Ix-Xgħajra one sack a household [1].
• Asbestos, garden waste and oils are also refused in many localities [1].
• Other exclusions are local. Il-Belt Valletta also lists cardboard boxes and glass, and some localities list commercial size fridges and freezers [1].
• Some items need preparing. Marsaskala (Marsascala in the list) asks for mattresses to be wrapped in plastic, and San Ġiljan asks for paints to be sealed in plastic bags and twigs to be tied in bundles [1].

Electrical items can have their own arrangement. Several localities keep a separate day for WEEE, which means waste electrical and electronic equipment. Il-Mosta, for example, collects only WEEE on Fridays [1]. In Qala and Is-Swieqi, small WEEE equipment should be taken to the council [1]. Retailers that run their own collection system can also take electronic products back [1].

Most entries give a limit of four items a household at one time, and some give three [1]. If you have more than that, ask the council how to split it across collections.

Before you put it out: can someone use it?

A table you no longer have room for may still be useful to someone in the next locality. Three quick checks tell you whether it is worth offering:

• Does it still work, or would it with a small repair you can describe?
• Is it clean enough to photograph as it is?
• Can it be carried out by two people through your door?

If the answers are yes, offer it to someone before you book the collection. A second-hand listing can show a price or say it is free, and the person who takes it comes to collect. Photograph the whole item and any marks, and say when it can be picked up. Give it a date: if nobody has taken it by the day you need the space, phone the council.

Someone collecting a large item has to come to you, so have another person with you when they do. If you are clearing a whole flat, how to sell your furniture when moving out of Malta goes through the order to do it in.

If the council cannot take it: Civic Amenity Sites

A Civic Amenity Site is where you bring household waste yourself. These sites accept only household waste [1]. Under bulky waste, WasteServ lists furniture and mattresses, white goods such as fridges, cookers and microwaves, garden furniture, and wood and metal [1]. They also take construction waste, garden waste, electronics, car tyres and some hazardous waste such as paint and solvents, which is often what a council refuses [1].

Before you drive there, know these rules [1]:

• You need a vehicle and a permit. Entry is only by vehicle, and vehicles without a permit are not let in. Apply online, at the site, or by calling WasteServ on 80072200.
• Sort it first. Waste has to be separated and sorted beforehand.
• Opening times. The sites open Monday to Sunday, including public holidays, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., except Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
• Clear your data. Remove personal data from phones, laptops, smart TVs and similar items.

Things in good condition can go another way. Every Civic Amenity Site has containers for items you want to donate, and the Reuse Centres are inside the sites at Luqa, Ħal Far, Mrieħel and Tal-Kus in Xewkija [3]. They take loose furniture, books, ceramics, toys, musical instruments, home décor, pet supplies and mirrors [3]. They do not take electrical and electronic waste, baby equipment, ladders, gas cylinders, batteries, car tyres, medical or safety equipment, or paints and chemicals [3].

Gozo: where to ask

Bulky refuse works the same way in Gozo: the local council is the first call, and Gozo’s localities are in the same WasteServ list [1]. As listed on 2 November 2026, Ir-Rabat (Gozo) collects on Wednesdays and Fridays (2156 3344), Ix-Xewkija on Thursdays (2155 8822) and Qala every two weeks on a Wednesday (2155 2555) [1]. Construction waste, garden waste, oils and asbestos are refused in all three [1].

For what the council will not take, Gozo’s Reuse Centre is within the Civic Amenity Site at Tal-Kus in Xewkija [3], and the permit rule above applies to Civic Amenity Sites in general [1]. If your locality’s entry does not answer your question, ask your council.

How we write these: every guide is checked against the sources above and updated when something changes.