Eco-contribution refunds 'denied' since 2006

Determined to get back the eco-contribution refunds for its member companies, Green Dot has turned to the Ombudsman, claiming that because of government bureaucracy these refunds have been denied since 2006.

"We are engaging the Ombudsman to unblock this stalemate," said Green Dot's CEO, Mario Schembri, calling the situation "irregular and unfair".

The operator of an authorised compliance scheme for the recovery of packaging waste, said it was not excluding further action of a legal nature. But the government yesterday said in a statement that it would be issuing a legal notice in the coming weeks, listing who is eligible for the refunds. Not every member was eligible, it stressed, adding that the necessary audits still had to be carried out.

But over a year ago, the government had enacted another legal notice, entitling companies participating in authorised schemes to be exempt from paying eco-contributions, Green Dot said.

"Not only has this not happened but, perversely, member companies have still not received any refunds on the eco-contributions paid since 2006.

"The government has consistently reiterated that participation in Mepa-authorised schemes, like GreenPak, makes companies eligible for refunds," Mr Schembri said.

For the last three years, GreenPak has diverted thousands of tonnes of packaging waste away from landfills towards recycling, and its latest annual report said it has met and surpassed Malta's national recycling targets for several years.

If the government honoured its promise to refund eco-tax, recycling would flourish, Mr Schembri said.

"To avoid confrontation, we had requested an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister. But the request went unheeded."

The company, as the official sub-licensee of the Green Dot trade mark, has the backing of Pro Europe, the Brussels-based international organisation for packaging waste recovery.