Pictured above: GreenPak Coop Society CEO Ing Mario Schembri, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture and Local Government Dr José Herrera and Paola Mayor Roderick Spiteri

A new door-to-door glass collection service will be held every first Friday of the month in those localities in Malta operating under the GreenPak scheme. In Gozo, this service will operate every first Thursday of the month in respective GreenPak localities.

Hon. José Herrera, Parliamentary Secretary for Culture and Local Government, welcomed this initiative by GreenPak arguing that recycling in Malta is still below European thresholds.

Herrera said that up to a few years ago no one bothered to separate waste, but now the situation is totally different. Not only we need to raise more awareness about recycling but we have to find ways and means how to increase the amount of recycled waste so as not to be left behind other European countries.

Today’s initiative is one of them.

Ing Mario Schembri, GreenPak Coop Society CEO, said that locality waste management plays a critical part in Malta’s national recycling effort. “The new glass collection scheme is another step in the right direction towards increasing the recovery of recyclable materials in a more sustainable and feasible way.”

“According to the latest NSO figures, 3,200 tonnes of glass waste are generated every year just by the 35 localities served by GreenPak. This mass is ending in landfills and occupies 5,000m³ or the equivalent of three storeys covering a medium sized square in Malta or Gozo. We shall aim to reduce and divert away from landfills at least 60% of this amount, but to achieve this target everyone needs to do their part,” explained Ing Schembri.

Roderick Spiteri, the Mayor of Paola, said: “Our Local Council has taken a proactive approach in terms of recycling and sustainable approaches. Besides working jointly with GreenPak to provide our local NGOs, clubs and schools with recycling bags, and terminating the black bags collection on Tuesdays, we are reusing some of the glass collected as aggregate for the construction of our pavements.”

GreenPak’s recycling advisors, who are currently visiting households to explain the new glass collection service, will be asking the residents to place their waste glass in cardboard boxes behind their doors. Upon collection these cardboard boxes will be left behind the door to be used once again. Furthermore, each household will be receiving a free roll of recycling bags for plastic, paper and metal for GreenPak’s ‘Recycling on Tuesdays’ door-to-door collection.

As the largest waste recovery scheme in Malta, with 34 out of 68 Local Councils opting for its waste management scheme, GreenPak continuously endeavours to instil awareness within the communities it services to recycle more plastic, metal, glass and paper through the wide range of services it offers. These include Recycling Bags kerbside collections, Bring-In sites and specific material collections such as for cardboard and now glass.

GreenPak Coop Society is a MEPA authorised scheme and is backed by PRO Europe, an umbrella organisation of 35 national producer responsibility systems engaged in the selective collection and recycling of packaging waste.

For further inquires regarding the new collection scheme, bring-in-sites and other information of interest, one can call GreenPak on tel: 2166 0233 or email info@greenpak.com.mt.