FILTH AND SEWAGE MATTER (REMOVAL) ġ S.L.10.05 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 10.05
FILTH AND SEWAGE MATTER (REMOVAL) 
REGULATIONS
26th December, 1911
GOVERNMENT NOTICE 402 of 1911, as amended by Acts: XIV of 1969
and XIII of 1983; incorporating also Government Notice 325 of 1899,
Police Notice dated 20th September, 1901, Police Notice 99 of 1930 and
Government Notice 14 of 1931.
Preliminary
Title .
(Removal) Regulations.
Removal of filth and sewage matter
Prohibition to 
deposit filth in a 
house.
2. No person who is in the occupation of any house situated in
an inhabited place shall deposit filth or shall suffer any quantity of
filth or of dirty, corrupt or stagnant water to accumulate on any part
of such house.
Prohibition to 
deposit filth in any 
other place.
3. No person who is in the occupation of any place other than
a house situated in an inhabited place shall deposit filth or shall
suffer any quantity of filth or of dirty, corrupt or stagnant water to
accumulate in such place when, in the opinion of the Sanitary
Authority, such accumulation or deposit may cause prejudice to the
public health.
Removal of filth.
quantity of dirty, corrupt or stagnant water or of filth or sewage
matter found in any house or other place as provided in regulations
2 and 3 of these Regulations, to be forthwith removed therefrom by
persons employed for such purpose by the Superintendent of Public
Health and to be appropriated for such use as the said
Superintendent may see fit without the payment of any
compensation to the person from whose possession such water, filth
or sewage matter is removed.
Inspection of 
premises.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
5. It shall be lawful for any persons employed as aforesaid to
enter, in the company of any officer of the Department of Health or
of the Police and inspect any house or other place as aforesaid, on
any day at any reasonable hour, for the performance of their duties
under these Regulations. 
Removal of refuse
Removal of refuse.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
6. The removal of dirt, dust, ashes and refuse, hereinafter in
these Regulations collectively referred to as “refuse”, from houses
shall be effected by scavengers licensed by the head of the
Department of Health, in the hours and days specified in the
Schedule annexed to these Regulations.
Conditions of 
licence.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
7. The licence shall be granted subject to withdrawal or to
temporary suspension by the head of the Department of Health if
the scavenger -
( a ) acts in violation of these Regulations; or
( b ) is convicted of theft.
2 ġ S.L.10.05 FILTH AND SEWAGE MATTER (REMOVAL)
Book to be kept.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
8. There shall be kept at the Department of Health, in the
form to be established by the department, a book wherein the name
of each licensed scavenger and his respective number shall be
entered. 
Sub-districts. 9. Every scavenger shall remove the refuse from the houses in
particular sub-districts of either Malta or Gozo.
Badge and number.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
10. (1) Every licensed scavenger shall be provided with a
badge containing the number under which he has been registered in
the book referred to in regulation 8 of these Regulations, and the
number of the sub-district in which he is to work. 
(2) Such number shall be furnished to the scavenger by the
Department of Health and shall be produced by him at the request
of any member of the Police Force, of any sanitary authority, or of
any officer in charge of scavengers, or of the occupier of any
premises from which he is to remove refuse.
House refuse. 11. The occupier of any house shall, once at least in every day,
except on Sundays and other public holidays, cause the house
refuse to be removed therefrom in a suitable receptacle of metal or
earthenware.
Broken bottles, etc. 12. The occupier of any house and the administrator or person
who is in charge of any building frequented by the public shall not
remove therefrom and deposit in any street or on the footway any
refuse or broken bottles, pieces of glass or broken earthenware,
except in suitable receptacles, nor shall he shake or beat clothes,
carpets, mats or other articles in or over any street except at times
and places to be fixed by the Commissioner of Police.
Dead animals.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19.
13. Any dead animals shall be delivered to the said scavengers
not later than the day following the death of the animals unless the
owners shall have been authorised by the head of the Department of
Health to dispose of them in any other manner.
Lime, coal, etc. 14. Whenever any lime, coal or other article producing dust or
dirt is to be unloaded, this shall be done before 8.00a.m except in
special cases by permission from the Police; the ground shall
thereafter be caused to be swept by the person in whose interest the
unloading took place, and the sweepings shall be removed in
accordance with the rules hereinafter established. 
Kerrejja .  15. There shall be provided in each house commonly called
kerrejja  a suitable receptacle for any refuse which may, from time
to time, be produced upon such premises, which receptacle shall be
constructed so that the bottom or floor thereof shall not in any case
be lower than the surface of the ground adjoining such receptacle. 
Removal of refuse 
from  kerrejja .
16. The person in possession of a licence to use a house as a
kerrejja  shall, at least once in every day, except on Sundays and
other holidays, cause to be removed by a licensed scavenger all the
refuse from the receptacle referred to in regulation 15 of these
Regulations.
Deposit of refuse. 17. The scavenger who shall remove any refuse from any
premises shall not, in the process of removal, deposit any refuse;
nor shall he cause or allow such refuse to be deposited upon any
footway, pavement or street.
FILTH AND SEWAGE MATTER (REMOVAL) ġ S.L.10.05 3
Spillage.
17 of these Regulations, any such refuse be slopped or spilled or
shall fall upon in any part of the street, the scavenger shall
forthwith remove from the place whereon the same may have been
slopped or spilled or may have fallen, and shall immediately
thereafter thoroughly sweep or otherwise thoroughly cleanse, such
place. 
Applicability of 
regulations 17 and 
18.
19. The provisions of regulations 17 and 18 shall equally apply
to any person, not being a scavenger, who shall have to convey any
refuse through or along any street.
Removal of refuse 
without a licence.
20. It shall not be lawful for any scavenger or for any of the
persons referred to in regulation 19 to remove any refuse to any
building without a licence from the Police, or to deposit such refuse
in any field or open place, in the proximity of an inhabited place,
unless the Sanitary Authority shall certify that such deposit cannot
cause prejudice or annoyance to neighbours or to persons passing
in the neighbouring streets.
Emptying of earth 
closets.
21. The occupier of any house shall, once at least in every day,
except on Sundays and other holidays, empty the movable
receptacle for faecal matter of earth closets belonging to such
premises.
Cleaning of 
receptacle.
22. The occupier of a house shall thoroughly clean every
receptacle used for refuse in such premises.
Inspection and 
emptying of 
cesspits.
Amended by:
XIV.1969.19;
XIII.1983.5.
23. (1) The officers of the Department of Health shall have
power to inspect all cesspits.
(2) The Department of Health shall be authorised to order the
emptying and cleaning of any cesspit when the department decides
that such emptying and cleaning are necessary; the said department
shall direct when and in what way the cesspits are to be emptied
and what precautions are to be taken.
(3) The owner of, or any other person responsible according to
law for, any house shall cause any cesspit belonging to such
premises to be emptied whenever so ordered by the Department of
Health.
(4) No person shall empty or cleanse a cesspit without
permission from the Department of Health.
(5) In urgent cases, the Department of Health shall have power
to cause cesspits to be emptied or cleansed, after giving verbal
notice to the owner or tenant charging the expense of such
emptying or cleansing to the owner.
(6) The rate chargeable for emptying cesspits shall not be
higher than 7c5 for every 100 gallons of sewage removed.
Applicability of 
regulations 17, 18 
and 19.
24. (1) The provisions of regulations 17, 18 and 19 shall also
be applicable to any filth which may have been removed from any
cesspool, or from any receptacle used in connection with a privy.
(2) The removal of such filth shall be carried out in accordance
with instructions to be given by the Sanitary Authority.
4 ġ S.L.10.05 FILTH AND SEWAGE MATTER (REMOVAL)
Precautions to be 
taken.
25. Every person who shall convey any filth or other matter
emitting a stench through or along any street shall, previous to and
during the whole time of such conveyance, adopt such precautions
as may be reasonably necessary, in the opinion of the Sanitary
Authority, to prevent the emission of noxious or offensive effluvia
from such filth or other matter. 
Filth used for 
agricultural 
purposes.
26. Every person who, for any purpose of agriculture, or
otherwise, shall deposit or cause to be deposited upon any lands or
premises in the vicinity of an inhabited place or of a public road,
any filth which may have been removed from any privy, or from
any receptacle used in connection with any privy and which may
not have been effectually deodorised shall, with all reasonable
dispatch, cause such filth to be ploughed or dug into the ground, or
to be covered with a sufficient layer of earth, ashes or other suitable
substance or shall adopt such other precautions as may be
necessary, in the opinion of the Sanitary Authority, to prevent the
emission of noxious or offensive effluvia from such filth.
Cattle dung. 27. The occupier of any premises shall not deposit the dung of
any cattle in such place or manner as to pollute any water supplied
for use, or likely to be used by man for drinking or domestic
purposes, or for manufacturing drinks for the use of man, or any
water used or likely to be used in a dairy.
Removal of 
manure.
28. Every occupier of a building or premises in an inhabited
place, wherein or whereon any horse or other beast of draught or
burden or any cattle or swine may be kept shall cause the manure
which shall be produced on such premises to be removed three
times a week in the months of June, July, August and September,
and twice a week in the other months, unless, in special cases, the
Sanitary Authority, shall order that the removal of such manure be
effected more often.
P.N. dated 
20.9.1901,
P.N. 99 of 1930,
P.N. 14 of 1931,
consolidated.
SCHEDULE
(Regulation 6)
Times and days for removal of refuse 
From houses up to 11.00a.m
  1st April to 30th September  4.00p.m to 5.30p.m
1st October to 31st March 2.00p.m to 3.30p.m
From shops  1st November to end of February 7.00a.m to 9.30a.m
1st March to 31st October 7.30a.m to 9.00a.m
