How can the Gaħan Malti be expected to co-operate in protecting the environment when it is so difficult to comply?

Case in point: After postponing Recycle Tuesdays from April 1, an issue emerged about the funding for the plastic bags for recyclable waste. It seems that 'the polluter pays' principle was taken to mean that who is generating this recyclable waste is the polluter because it is he who has to pay for it. (Why can't I use the degradable plastic bags supplied by the local supermarket?) Ok, let's give them a token so they can get the first couple of bags for free.

In my case, the idea resulted in a farce. We received the tokens by post on May 3 at 11.30 a.m. On the first page, font size 12, it says that you have up till May 12 to redeem the voucher. Then on the third page, font size 9, for my locality, Zabbar, it says the deadline was May 3. So it was that very day or nothing.

But we had till 6.30 p.m. We heard of long queues so we left it till later when it would be quieter.

At 3.45 p.m. I called at the local council only to find it closed with no notice as to why. Other people were also there, understandably grumbling, and confirming with each other that on the notice it said until 6.30 p.m. I checked again at 4.30 p.m. Still closed. The taxpayers' money wasted in printing these tokens (and, I hope, recycling them) would have been better spent in providing the plastic bags.

As one who has been collecting recyclable material for the past year to deliver them to bring-in sites outside my locality (which boasts only one, on the other side of town), I am appalled at a scheme that would have relieved me of a spare bedroom full of rubbish awaiting my next visit to the bring-in site. Co-operation has to be attractive, not downright nonsensical.