The car scrappage scheme launched in the last budget has been fully taken up, with 2,400 cars having been scrapped, and it has now been closed.

Speaking during a visit to tar-Robba Scrapyard, which is taking the scrapped vehicles, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said the scheme was a success story.

However, he was non-committal when asked whether it would be re-opened in the upcoming budget. The government, he said, was committed to looking at other alternatives which would help it reach the same aims.

Car owners were offered up to €2,000 if they scrapped their car and bought a new, low emissions vehicle. Scrapped cars had to be over 10 years old. The scheme was meant to close when 2,000 vehicles were scrapped, but it was then extended.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said the scheme was one in a series of initiatives the government was taking to reduce CO2 emissions. Once the Marsa Power States was closed and the Delimara extension started being used, there would automatically be 400,000 less tonnes of CO2 emissions.

He said the government was also working on a  €2 million project with EU funds to install 100 charging points for electric vehicles and for the purchase of 25 electric cars for government departments.

Mr Pullicino said that by 2013, car manufactures would have launched the third generation electric vehicles, which were very similar to conventional cars, even price wise. He noted that the waste created by the scrappage scheme was being exported.

The minister said that the five civic amenity sites had received nearly 3,000 fridges, 1,000 washing machines, 5,200 TVs, 1,000 fans, 2,300 monitors and 1,500 computers.