At the recent Greenpak Annual Awards 2016 ceremony, the first Sustainable Practices Awards were presented to local councils that introduced the highest number of sustainable waste practices and registered the greatest increases in the collection of recyclable waste last year.
Birkirkara won the first edition of the award after it introduced the highest number of most sustainable waste practices in 2015. While the quantity of waste collected in black bags in Birkirkara fell by 37 per cent, the collection of waste packaging for recycling in the locality rose to 45kg per capita last year.
Sliema won the Best Overall Performance Award, which is presented to the locality that collects the highest amount of recyclable waste. The amount of recyclable waste collected in Sliema rose by 65 per cent in 2015.
Mosta won the Most Responsive Community Award for registering a 30 per cent rise in the amount of recyclable waste collected following a two-month educational campaign run by Greenpak in January 2015.
The quantities of waste generated by increased commercial activity needs to be decoupled from the growth in GDP- Greenpak Coop Society CEO Mario Schembri
Balzan local council won the Most Supportive Locality award for the council’s commitment in encourage its residents and business community to recycle more. The Most Glass Collected Award went to Żurrieq.
Besides receiving the trophy and certificate of achievement, the winning local councils were presented with the prize money of €1,000 to support ongoing environmental projects in their respective locality for the benefit of residents.
Addressing the awards ceremony at the Garden of Serenity, Santa Luċia, Greenpak Coop Society CEO Mario Schembri said that over the past decades, the amount of solid waste generated in Malta has grown alongside the growth in the country’s GDP. He said it was assumed that there is an indispensable relationship between the increase in waste generation and economic growth.
This linkage needs to be broken, Schembri said, and the quantities of waste generated by increased commercial activity needs to be decoupled from the growth in GDP.
Sustainable waste practices are the way forward, he said, adding that the awards would serve to showcase the achievements of the Maltese public for their commitment towards a better environment.
During the ceremony, Nature Trust CEO Vince Attard presented a special award to Qrendi local council after its residents participated most in a campaign held by 2015 by the NGO and Greenpak to promote the recycling and sale of used clothes in aid of Nature Trust’s Wildlife Rescue Unit.
The ceremony was attended by Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Stefan Buontempo and Joseph Caruana, permanent secretary at the Environment Ministry in lieu of Minister José Herrera, who was abroad.