This week, in response to a public consultation (NL-0020-2024) from the the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and Regeneration of the Grand Harbour, Friends of the Earth Malta (FOEM) submitted their input regarding Guidelines for Catering Establishments on Food Containers and Beverage Cups.
According to the Maltese National Statistics Office, Maltese generate about 5 tons of waste per capita, much of which is going to a landfill. As we are an island, we are especially aware of the need to prevent further contamination of our seas by plastics. One way to reduce the overall amount of waste, is to reduce single use food containers. Therefore FOEM’s main recommendation is for food establishments in Malta to be directed to follow the waste hierarchy as described in the European Union’s Waste Directive. This includes first reducing/avoiding use of plastic, secondly reusing food containers wherever possible, and third, recycling.
In lieu of plastics, material such as metal, glass, or paper could be utilised. In our comments, we noted that many large scale events around Europe have banned single use plastics and use reusable cups instead, such as in the City of Ghent, Belgium, which has opted for waste-free festivities. There, reusable cups can be borrowed from the city’s municipal waste department, and this has resulted in significant waste reduction. Another example is the system of cup returns being implemented in Freiburg, Germany, where the city’s waste management company provides cups to cafes for which customers pay a €1 deposit, and the deposit is returned when the customer returns the cup to a participating cafe. Malta should follow these examples.
Finally, our comments discuss that where elimination or reuse of single use take-away items is not feasible, then Maltese food establishments should provide take-out food containers that are either made of biodegradable/compostable materials, or are recyclable, such as aluminium. Public understanding of the importance of these issues and how to do proper sorting is also necessary. Zero Waste Europe is suggested as a helpful resource.
Read the full feedback linked here.