The Single-Use Plastics Strategy (2021-2030) and the Long-Term Waste Management Plan 2021-2030 (LTWMP) have been published following a public consultation process.
This was announced by Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia together with Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) Deputy Director Kevin Mercieca, and Director of Directorate for the Environment and Climate Change within the Ministry Ruth Debrincat.
The Minister said that the shift from a linear to a circular economy is important now more than ever. “The circular economy offers opportunities for sustainable growth, better health and quality jobs, while protecting the environment and our natural resources. In every policy decision, we need to keep in mind the wellbeing of our society and our children. This is why we are implementing these ambitious measures,” Minister Farrugia said.
Single-Use Plastics Strategy (2021-2030)
Minister Farrugia explained that the SUP strategy, which includes concrete measures that will be implemented in the coming years, is based on Government’s ambition to move towards an economy that is truly circular and a society that is more conscious and responsible. In fact, Government has already started moving in this direction as earlier this year Malta became one of the first countries to stop the importation of various single-use plastic products, the sale of which will be prohibited as of next year. The Minister explained that this strategy:
Is based on the European Commission Directive on SUPs (SUPD);
Includes research that was conducted locally to assess the most problematic SUPs in Malta specifically;
Carried out numerous public and stakeholder meetings to ensure everyone had the opportunity to be part of this strategy;
Is linked to all other efforts to safeguard the environment, including protecting marine protected areas, and fits into ERA’s long-term plan — the National Strategy for the Environment (NSE);
Gives Government a clear direction for the future with proposed goals and targets aimed at improving the local situation and further addressing this global challenge.
Long Term Waste Management Plan (2021-2030)
Regarding Malta’s long-term Waste Management Plan 2021-2030, the Minister said that this document describes the Government’s vision to make a big leap in the waste management sector. by embracing a circular approach and transforming waste into a resource.
“The main goal of the LTWMP is to move towards a circular economy: to waste less, to recycle more to decrease resource waste and give a new life to materials which so far we have been landfilling,” Minister Farrugia said, as he explained the following points:
At the top of this plan is waste prevention. We need to reduce waste: incentivize repairs, encourage donations, make more use of digital technology, and where appropriate address processes by making them more efficient.
We will continue to build on what we have already achieved in waste separation. Mandatory separation will be introduced so that the applicable legal framework reflects what thousands of families are already doing.
We will reform waste collection and start collecting waste on a national schedule with modern vehicles. Our goal is to switch to a regional collection model.
We will invest half a billion euro in four new plants at ECOHIVE to reduce landfilling. This is a critical step and we are already working hard on turning waste into resource.
We must incentivize the separation of waste from commercial establishments so that the commercial sector will also do its part. We have provided training and will continue to be available to inform the commercial sector on waste separation. We need to address organic waste in particular in order to extract clean energy.
Many do their best to separate waste and not pollute the environment. In fact this year was a record year for recycled waste. And in respect of this, we will step up enforcement to tackle abuse and illegal dumping.
“With this ambitious plan, which includes measures which have already began to be implemented, we will see a leap in quality in this sector. We have a long way to go, and only with everyone’s cooperation will we be able to achieve the results Malta deserves.”
Source: Government of Malta