Recycling waste management firm GreenMT is appealing against an order for it to continue collecting grey bags even from those localities in Malta and Gozo where operations were not viable.

The decision by the Environment Resources Authority came after GreenMT, a subsidiary of the Chamber of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (GRTU), had written to six councils informing them of its decision to stop collecting recyclable waste.

The local councils concerned are Floriana, Mtarfa, Dingli, Għargħur, Cospicua and Valletta.

Recycling of waste must be made mandatory

GreenMT’s move follows a similar one taken earlier this year when it had informed seven local councils in Gozo of its decision to stop collecting the grey bags.

These were Fontana, Żebbuġ, Kerċem, Għarb, Għasri, San Lawrenz and Munxar.

OPINION: Mandatory waste separation - Joe Attard

The ERA had at the time stepped in to ensure that the councils were covered for waste collection, according to law. ERA has now effected the same move with the latest batch of councils.

“GreenMT had issued a cut-off date of three months after issue of the termination letter. However, these local councils were all reallocated to GreenMT as per market placement criteria determined by ERA,” a spokeswoman for the authority told Times of Malta.

GreenMT chief executive officer Joe Attard confirmed that his company was ditching several councils where the company had an unsustainable operation.

“It was a decision we have had to take based on simple mathematics. We looked at the bottom line and saw where we were losing money and based on this exercise, we drew up a list of localities where it simply does not make business sense for us to continue with our operations,” Mr Attard told the Times of Malta.

He said the firm was appealing both decisions for it to have to cater for the councils.

Earlier this year, Mr Attard told Times of Malta that recycling of waste must be made mandatory for it to work.

“Otherwise, we will continue depending on the benevolence of some people and this is why it does not make business sense for us to keep certain localities,” he had noted.

In 2016, businesses in Malta produced around 43,000 tonnes of declared packaging on the market.

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