So far 375 producers/ importers have opted to join the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Scheme operated through WEEE (Malta) Ltd, a fully-owned subsidiary of the GRTU Malta Chamber of SMEs.
These producer members have declared a yearly average import of 6,600 tons, 55 per cent of the total weight imported to Malta.
WEEE Malta pointed out that on a national scale Malta would need to collect at least 20 tons a day, spread over a five-day week. It urged the authorities involved to ensure that all the relevant waste goes to authorised facilities and not to scrap metal facilities.
“Although the issue of allowing permits for both a WEEE facility and a scrap metal facility was pointed out to government, nothing to date has been done about this issue. And in other EU countries cash transactions at scrap metal facilities are banned. Malta should follow suit and not try to re- invent the wheel,” it said.
The GRTU also encouraged other companies to sign up, pointing out that penalties are now in place.