Opposition Speaker for Local Government David Agius commended GreenPak Cooperative Society for its ongoing cooperation with Local Councils in an effort to provide high quality collections of recyclable waste to residents of various localities. Agius encouraged GreenPak to pursue its educational campaigns and embark on the collection of electronic and electrical waste.
This was stated during a meeting that Mr Agius had with GreenPak. During the meeting, Agius was informed in detail about GreenPak's ongoing work and current projects. He said that certain Local Councils need to work closer together in order to increase the effectiveness of waste recycling collections and achieve better results in this sector.
The Opposition Speaker also encouraged residents to co-operate and work with Local Councils and the assigned waste collectors. At the same time, residents need to be better informed, and this could be achieved through educational campaigns, leaflets and information calendars which include kerbside collection days and times. This will lead to cleaner localities and provide a better service to the residents.
GreenPak's Chief Executive Officer, Ing Mario Schembri said: "In a further step towards promoting recycling, stimulating the circular economy and better protecting the environment, GreenPak is introducing a separate waste collection for electronic and electrical equipment."
"As we mark our 10th anniversary, GreenPak has been instrumental in changing the mentality from one geared on taxation to one based on producer's responsibility. The next major challenge is to convince authorities not to allow any further fiscal immorality in this sector. For transparency's sake, it is essential to ensure a level playing field. In turn, this process will provide both peace of mind for Local Councils and residents, and smoother operations with much better results in terms of recycling," said Ing Schembri.
GreenPak, a MEPA authorised scheme, is the largest waste recovery scheme in Malta. The organisation is a founding member of EXPRA, a not-for-profit international organisation promoting the concept that it is industry itself that should take up recycling and let recycling be a burden on Government or Local Authorities. GreenPak has for the past decade been one of 35 national producer responsibility systems operating under the PRO Europe umbrella.