Companies must recover half packaging waste

Companies must recover at least half the packaging material placed on the market by the end of the year, according to Mario Schembri, chief executive officer of Green Pak, which runs a recycling scheme approved by Mepa.

But even more pressing was the need for them to declare their waste recovery last year by the end of the month. Highlighting how the scheme exceeded national targets for three consecutive years, Mr Schembri attributed this to Green Pak's knowledge gained through its high standing with PRO Europe, the largest waste recovery and recycling corporate body within the EU.

"Malta has the advantage of being a late starter in the area of recycling. As a result, we can avoid the pitfalls that other countries have experienced. There's a wealth of tried and tested systems out there and it is a simple matter of choosing the most appropriate systems.

"Green Pak has avoided re-inventing the wheel and has steered away from costly experiments in waste recovery. As a result, Green Pak has been able to provide legal compliance at the least possible cost for its numerous members and is today the most economical packaging recovery scheme in Malta.

"This can be easily attested by comparing the packaging waste recovery rates charged by authorised schemes in Malta," he said.