A statement earlier this week by the operators of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme said that close to 150 million beverage containers have been recycled since the introduction of the scheme nine months ago.

That’s 150 million containers made of plastic, glass and cans. It is no small amount, and the numbers are encouraging.

The scheme itself is an interesting idea. It entices people to take their beverage containers to drop off points by charging 10c for such containers when they are sold, which people get back once they take these empty items to the relevant BCRS bins. This entices people not to leave their empty plastic bottles around. And if they do, someone might just pick it up and take it in for recycling.

But the scheme does have its issues. For instance, scanning the bar codes on the products when placing them in the BCRS bins can be a bit annoying. Another issue is the queues that form outside these said bins. People, for the most part, wouldn’t travel to a BCRS bin with just one or two items. They would accumulate an amount and go to place them through at one go. This can result in queues. Another is the lack of accessibility for some who, for instance, don’t or cannot drive – an issue which truly needs to be resolved. The number of BCRS bins should continue to increase, which could be one way to improve this situation.

The question whether restaurants are charging customers that extra 10c is also something that one is unsure of. Perhaps something more could be done here in order to clarify this situation and to ensure that it does not happen.

In the past, there were also complaints about BCRS bins being full, and that people just dumped the bags with bottles on the side, but BCRS said in its statement that its teams were working round the clock to keep up with the huge numbers, as well as clearing its hubs every day, and ensuring that these are washed as according to a weekly schedule. One hopes that this solves or has solved the problem.

Recycling plays an important role in preserving our environment and preserving resources. We must all do our part in order to help the environment.

One major issue that the country is currently facing is waste bags being left on the streets. As seen over recent weeks, as highlighted in Sliema, St Julian’s and Swieqi for instance, garbage is a problem. People take the wrong bags out on the wrong days, or just dump their garbage bags at street signs or lamp posts. This is unacceptable. At the same time, there might be a need to revise the waste collection schedule, especially in areas where there are many short lets who might not know or be used to such a schedule.

The central Government needs to get on the ball on this issue as waste attracts rodents and other critters. That is unfair on residents and is also unsightly for tourists.