Young entrepreneurs develop waste separator bin

Young Enterprise company Eco-Lite has launched a user-friendly bin aimed at making consumers' life easier and encouraging them to separate waste at source.

Eco-Lite's waste separation bin is made out of plastic and is slightly larger than an average household bin.

The Minister for Rural Affairs and the Environment, George Pullicino, noted during a visit to Eco-Lite that young entrepreneurs are proposing eco-friendly and innovative products to meet the demands of the Maltese market.

"A user-friendly waste separation bin encourages people to separate waste at source, which, in the long run, will help the country reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill," Mr Pullicino said.

The amount of separated waste collected last year increased by 88 per cent on the previous year. In 2005, the waste separated consisted of 889,000kg of paper, 266,000kg of plastic, 133,000kg of metal, and 523,000 kg of glass.

This year, in January alone, the recyclable material collected amounted to 131,320kg, which included waste collected from the 70 bring-in sites.

The government said that by the end of the year, the amount of bring-in sites throughout Malta and Gozo will go up to 400. So far, local councils have identified 214 sites in Malta and another 22 in Gozo where bring-in sites will be placed for the convenience of the residents in each locality.

WasteServ is to export 50 tonnes of used batteries to France. These used batteries, loaded in three containers, were collected from houses, shops, schools and offices. Every year, about six million batteries and 60,000 accumulators are imported and used in Malta.

WasteServ has trained 20 people and employed them as door-steppers to educate households on how to reduce and separate waste. Door-steppers visited over 6,000 households in various localities between last October and this January.