BCRS Recovered 3 Out Of 4 Bottles Used In The First Quarter Of This Year
BCRS Malta, known for its beverage container refund scheme, has managed to recover 76% of the total drink containers placed on the market between January and March of this year.
This achievement is notable for our small nation, with a total collection of over 64 million empty drink containers since its launch in November last year.
BCRS Malta’s success is attributed to the introduction of a 10 cent deposit on drink bottles and cans aimed at reducing littering and increasing collection and recycling rates for single-use drink containers in plastic, metal, and glass.
Public hubs across Malta and Gozo, reverse vending machines (RVMs) in supermarkets, and manual collections from catering establishments and smaller retail outlets has played a significant role in sustaining this scheme.
As jumbo-sized machines for plastic are rolled out this week, Malta and Gozo will have 348 machines across the two islands throughout the summer months.
Figures from the first quarter report a recovery rate of 79% for PET plastic, 73% for cans, and 74% for glass materials, highlighting the scheme’s effective collection rates for all three material types.
The scheme has played a significant role in clearing the environment of beverage containers that would have littered the island’s beaches, countryside, and seas.
What do you make of these remarkable numbers?