Consumers and businesses are a crucial part of the ecological transition that the government is driving in our country, said Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia.
The minister was speaking during a visit to Maypole Group, a company which is celebrating the achievement of its goal to remove one million plastic bags from the market.
The minister praised the environmental practices and initiatives being carried out voluntarily by the private sector, among them to reduce the plastic waste generated.
“In July last year, I was invited by Maypole to announce an initiative aimed at removing one million plastic bags from circulation a year. On that day, the directors of Maypole announced that this would be done by giving the Maltese bread to the customer in a paper bag instead of a plastic one. I appreciate that this was a step that brought an element of risk to the company as it was a change related to a key product. Every change brings a risk and I appreciate that Maypole has taken this step which has now led to a million plastic bags to have actually been taken out of circulation. Thus, the goal that was announced last year was a success”, he continued.
“I also note that Maypole’s commitment to environmental policies last year is also resulting in changes in the company’s various stores. Today, we are in front of the most recent shop where a green wall is also being built”, said the minister.
He also stated that it is time to give answers to our children by taking action on the waste being generated on our beaches and taking concrete steps towards a circular economy. “We will continue our work to reduce pollution, work on our climate change strategy, on improving quality of life and our ecosystem with more measures and actions to bring tangible results. This year will be a transitory one for the single-use plastic products already on the market and, as from 2022, the sale and distribution of these items will also be legally prohibited. I am glad to see the work, dedication and commitment of the ministry going hand-in-hand with such projects and initiatives so that as a country we can move forward in a sustainable way”, the minister added.
It was also stated that work is currently underway to implement the budget measure to encourage more stores to allocate spaces to sell alternative products to plastics. The minister affirmed that these and other measures will be introduced in our country through a single use plastics products strategy for Malta with the aim of strengthening the element of sustainable consumption in our country.
Link to footage: https://we.tl/t-CPBwOkVATe
