Until a few days ago, Malta had an ecologically sensible system under which plastic bottles for soft drinks were banned. Glass bottles had a high return rate, proving that the public endorsed the system.

In the name of free market neo-liberalism, the EU argued that Malta was discriminating against plastic bottles. The result will be millions of plastic bottles which will fill our landfills, already overburdened with tonnes of waste. This measure is ultimately harmful to the environment and to public health.

Is it not ironic that the EU which projects itself as the defender of the environment in global forums has imposed such a harmful and wasteful system on Malta? And soft-drink producers paraded their investment in plastic bottles as if they were doing Malta a favour.

'Commodification' and ecology do not mix. There are those who will argue that if the Maltese are environment-friendly, they should deposit used plastic bottles in bring-in sites for recycling. Such half-hearted apologetic arguments are stuck in a capitalist mindset of endless cheap production, causing much damage to the environment. The recycling of bottles is in itself a polluting productive activity which can be avoided.

Others might promote flat-rate taxation on plastic bottles as a form of eco-tax. Yet, what sense would such tax have, if people have no option but to buy such bottles?

Environmental responsibility would be dumped on citizens, when it was not they who imposed the new system.

There is only one honest policy which will save the environment from further damage - the eventual phasing-out of the plastic bottle system and the re-introduction of the returnable and reusable bottle system.