Business and waste collection schemes

Over the past weeks, the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise has been working hard through its environment committee and via a number of its trade sections to ensure members are informed and updated on the need for the business community to be aware of its responsibilities insofar as the EU's Waste Packaging Directive is concerned.

The chamber's position on the issue is basic. It is in the interest of business and industry to join waste collection schemes in the wake of the new LN277/2006 regulations.

Legal Notice 277/06, which supersedes the earlier LN98/04, now transposes the provisions of the Waste Packaging Directive into Maltese law. Among other things, this legal notice sets higher recovery and recycling targets for packaging waste.

The new regulations are also much clearer on the producer's responsibility placed upon importers and/or manufacturers who introduce a product into the Maltese market.

Furthermore, the regulations expand on the ability for companies to wholly transfer such responsibilities onto a Mepa-recognised waste collection scheme.

The new regulations establish that by January 31, 2006 each company needs to either directly or through a Mepa-recognised waste collection scheme register itself with Mepa as a company that generates packaging waste on the Maltese market. By January 2007 each producer shall also provide details in respect of packaging and packaging material put on the market during 2006 and thereafter the information shall be provided by January 31 of each year.

Participation in collective schemes shifts the burden of responsibility from the importer/manufacturer onto these Mepa-recognised schemes.

If a company does not form part of a recognised scheme then it is obliged to collect its own waste and be subject to quarterly or annual audits by Mepa as the competent regulatory body in Malta.

As stated earlier, the chamber has been very active in making information available to all its members in order for these to be aware of their responsibilities.

As part of this information process, we have just held a seminar during which representatives of three waste management schemes gave details about their scheme.

Participation at the seminar was open to all those who have or will be setting up these schemes. Members present asked various detailed questions to the representatives making their presentation.

The chamber urges all its members and the business community at large to proceed to regularise their position as early as possible to avoid incurring penalties and other unnecessary complications.

By the same token, the chamber urges the authorities to ensure that there is proper enforcement across the board to ascertain a level playing field for all law-abiding companies.

While the chamber accepts that trading companies have to fulfil their duties under the law, the government and the authorities are also in duty bound to ensure proper enforcement in the interests of fair competition.

Mr Galea is president of the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise.