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Malta To Reintroduce Cash-For-Bottles System As Part Of War Against Plastic

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People in Malta will soon be able to get cash back for returned plastic bottles similar to the scheme used in the past for returnable glass bottles.

By 2019, the island will aim to collect more than 70% of the plastic bottles it placed on the market, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced today.

Dr Muscat spoke about the Our Ocean conference organised in Malta this week and said it was time for the island to take action when it comes to plastic.

The current rate of plastic pollution around the country was “intolerable”, he said, and in the future this would not only have an impact on our seas and marine life but also trickle down to the food we will be able to eat due to chemical contamination especially with fish. 

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Muscat said when Malta joined the EU, money had triumphed over the environment, and the old system of returning glass bottles was removed due to fair competition reasons. He recalled how children all over Malta used to run after empty glass bottles to get money from them but this all stopped when glass bottles were phased out in favour of plastic.

“Today, when you walk around our streets, our countryside and our shores, you can see a whole country becoming a landfill of plastic bottles,” he said, adding that no amount of cleaning or educating will have a real impact on the level of plastic pollution. 

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The only solution, according to Dr Muscat, is to put a price on plastic bottles and create reverse vending machines at shops and petrol stations in which people can get cash back for collecting the bottles. This would mean an increase in the prices of soft drinks and added hassle for consumers to collect and return bottles, but it would also ensure a cleaner country for all, he said.

Dr Muscat also said waste management was a key issue for the country unless it wanted to be taken over by one landfill after another. This was why he put together a team of experts to analyse the best technologies for the country. Dr Muscat announced that former Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Harry Vassallo had agreed to join the committee and help it take the best decisions for future generations.

And yet, the Opposition was still refusing to join the committee despite several requests to do so. 

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Christian is an award-winning journalist and entrepreneur who founded Lovin Malta, a new media company dedicated to creating positive impact in society. He is passionate about justice, public finances and finding ways to build a better future.

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