Circular Economy Malta (CEM) and the Environment Ministry have announced timelines related to the beverage container refund scheme which will be launched in April 2022.

It is expected that within the same timeframe, the building of the factory which will be dealing with the recycling processes will be complete, and the reverse-vending machines will be distributed across Malta and Gozo by end of March as well.

As the national regulator of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme (BCRS), the main role of the agency Circular Economy Malta (CEM) is to ensure that the existent regulations governing the scheme are complied with and that stipulated targets are met, thereby safeguarding the environment.

The first target of collecting 70% of the single-use containers that were placed on the market during the year 2022 and are registered with the scheme, is envisaged to be reached by December of next year.

The building of the factory which will be dealing with the recycling processes will be complete by April 2022.

Works related to the installation of the factory in which the recycling process will take place are planned to be completed by April 2022. It is also expected that the reverse vending machines will be distributed around Malta and Gozo by the private sector within the same timeframe.

Circular Economy Malta in Collaboration with the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) drafted a set of regulations governing an Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for End of Life Tyres.

 Following extensive work, it is expected that an Expression of Interest is issued to enable interested private economic operators to submit their respective bids for the effective management of the scheme.

The Agency is also striving to address the effects of Construction and Demolition Waste. A technical committee was set up to facilitate the commercialisation of Reconstituted or Reengineered Stone. The Committee is chaired by the Agency and is composed of representatives from the Ministry, ERA, and the Building and Construction Authority. The committee’s main objective is to explore and discuss potential measures to mitigate the impacts of this waste stream on the environment, in line with the Construction and Demolition Waste Strategy for Malta 2020-2025. In August 2021, this committee submitted a formal request to the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority to draft standards for end-of-waste aggregates, including Maltese Limestone.