Cleansing and Maintenance Division, launches a major innovation initiative in partnership with the University of Malta and the Malta Council for Arts Science and Technology, to deploy artificial-intelligence tools in public cleansing operations.

The Government of Malta, through its Cleansing and Maintenance Division (CMD), has recently launched a major innovation initiative in partnership with the University of Malta (UM) and the Malta Council for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), to deploy artificial-intelligence (AI) tools in public cleansing operations. The initiative, formally unveiled by Minister Miriam Dalli and Parliamentary Secretary Glenn Bedingfield introduces two complementary projects aimed at modernising waste detection and resource allocation across Malta’s cleaning services.

The first project, known as AWIGS (Aerial Waste Identification and Geolocation System), utilises drones equipped with AI-driven computer vision to survey hard-to-reach areas, such as valleys, cliffs, countryside and Natura 2000 zones for illegally dumped waste. This allows CMD to detect, geo-locate, and categorise waste types remotely, thereby reducing the need for manual ground patrols in difficult or hazardous terrain.

The second project, AICOM (Artificial Intelligence to Optimise Cleansing in Malta), focuses on using AI to streamline the Division’s internal operations — optimising route planning, resource allocation, and scheduling so that cleansing crews can operate more efficiently. By integrating data gathered by AWIGS, AICOM promises to reduce wasted trips, better match resources to needs, and improve overall service quality.

For workers in the cleansing division, this shift could bring tangible benefits, safer working conditions, less exposure to hazardous terrain, and clearer prioritisation of tasks. As Minister Dalli noted, these technologies help workers carry out their duties “more efficiently and professionally.” Bedingfield emphasised the government’s commitment to continuously improving public-service delivery.

In a broader labour-market context, this initiative reflects a growing trend of integrating advanced technology into public-sector services. It offers a model for how AI can be used not to replace workers, but to support them — improving working conditions, boosting productivity, and allowing human effort to focus where it matters most. Overall, AWIGS and AICOM represent a promising blending of environmental responsibility, public-service modernisation, and labour-friendly innovation. As these efforts roll out, they may pave the way for further AI-enabled public-service reforms — provided that the rights and wellbeing of workers remain central to implementation.