Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1507818
question to ask, at this stage. If Malta's government has already published a 'Nation- al Strategy Document', for at least one of our islands; with the result that, seven years later, not a single one of its recommendations has ever been implemented, in the meantime... ... why the bleeding hell should any of us even care, about the launch of yet an- other useless, ineffectual 'National Strategy Docu- ment': of the kind that will almost certainly share the same fate as all the others... and end up simply gathering dust, in a Tourism Ministry filing-cabinet somewhere? Tough question, huh? Especially when you also consider that – long be- fore either Gozo or Comi- no 'strategy plans' were launched – the same gov- ernment had published lit- erally countless other, sim- ilar studies... all of which remain likewise unimple- mented, to this day. A few brief examples, be- fore wrapping up. Back in 2018, government had launched a 'Nation- al Cycling Strategy Action Plan': intended (in its own words) to "promote and support cycling in Malta as a sustainable mode of transport [...] to make it eas- ier [and safer] for people to use cycling as a means of commuting; [...] as well as, above all, to entice non-cy- cling commuters to use the bicycle as another mode of transport." Four years later, however, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia informed us all that his government had since 'reconsidered' that particular idea: "Until today our aim has been to make sure that our roads are safe, to keep our cars moving at pace; and then when we can accommodate bicycles, we will also do this..." 'Nuff said. Meanwhile – also in 2018 – government published a document entitled: 'Mal- ta's Sustainable Vision for 2050'. And just to give you a rough idea of how much of that 'Sustainable Vision' has since become a 'Sustainable Reality'... the Environmental & Resources Authority went on to publish the EXACT SAME DOCUMENT again, four years later! Only this time, it was en- titled: 'National Strategy for the Environment 2050'... and its aims were to fo- cus on: "Clean Air, Quality Neighbourhood, Thriving Biodiversity, Zero Waste, Resilient Land Resources, Flourishing Seas, Sustain- able Water Resources and Enabling Change". I need hardly add that the reaction of the aforemen- tioned NGOs, was not ex- actly one of 'Great Expecta- tions'. Jean Paul Gauci, from Moviment Graffitti, pointed out that: "2050 is conven- iently far away to keep kick- ing the necessary action-can down the road"... adding: "Malta is in most ways going in the opposite direction to the ideals outlined in this document; and numerous present concerns – such as the current failures of the PA and ERA in mitigating the effects of climate change – remain unacknowledged." Similarly, Nature Trust Malta president Vince At- tard commented sardon- ically on its resemblance with the previous, 2018 doc- ument: which, he said, "was never taken seriously." Naturally, this leaves us with the most imponderable question of them all. If gov- ernment itself doesn't take its own 'National Strategy Documents' seriously – and it very clearly doesn't – is there any reason under the sun, of any kind whatso- ever, why anyone else ever should? No, I didn't think so ei- ther... MALTA'S waste management crisis is a com- plex problem. Decades of overconsumption and a lack of political will to address the issue have led to a situation where the country is producing more waste than it can sustainably manage. The problem has been exacerbated in recent years by the country's growing population, the tourism boom, and the "growth at all costs" mantra. The collective unlearning of a lifestyle which almost encourages wastefulness will not come easy as can be seen from the current resistance. The government has taken some bold steps to address the problem, such as introducing the new waste collection system, the BCRS system and banning single-use plastics. The new waste collection system is clearly a step in the right direction, since it was designed to wean off the public from taking the easy route and dump everything in the black bag. The daily black bag collection system was on- ly delaying the inevitable and was not something that could be sustained in the long term. Although Malta's recy- cling figures were quite abysmal until recently, more recent data is show- ing an encouraging trend since the introduction of the BCRS scheme, the ban on single use plastics and the new waste collection system. This indicates that a large proportion of households are doing their best to be part of this posi- tive change. Fostering similar initi- atives which reduce the scale of the waste problem rather than promote un- sustainable consumption will of course have a net positive effect too. However, one can draw parallels here with the introduction of seat belts (and smoking ban) in Malta. Education can go a long way, but fines and solid enforcement are also necessary to catch up with the irresponsible individuals and businesses who lack any form of civic duty. Government also needs to hold businesses ac- countable for their waste practices. This could be done through regulations, inspections, and enforcement. Better regulations within the cleaning and hospitality sectors should also be on the cards. These companies need to offer at least basic training to their staff on how to re- cycle and not have them dump all the waste in a black bag, which is then left on the street once they finish cleaning. Proper waste separation and disposal is seen as an additional, time-consuming effort which doesn't yield profits, whereas the cleaning com- panies and their customers are equally interest- ed in streamlining their operations and cutting costs, whilst literally dumping those costs on the waste infrastructure at the detriment of us all. Although one understands that not everyone can have a compost bin at home and a space to store bags of recyclables, on a household level most of the inconveniences can easily be ad- dressed with proper man- agement and reduction with minor changes of some basic daily routines. Similarly, communi- ty composting initiatives have been very successful in other European coun- tries, and these can be rep- licated locally with very little investment too. Having said that, the current schedule which collects organic waste three times per week is more than adequate for a typical household. The introduction of compost bag depositories which are traceable to limit abuse could also be considered for some hotspot areas. The waste management crisis requires a concert- ed effort from everyone to make a difference. We need to change our habits, demand more from businesses, and support the government's efforts to fine tune the new sys- tem where required. How- ever, it is important to re- member that this system is designed to change the way we think about waste. It is not enough to simply recycle and compost our waste; we also need to reduce the amount of waste we produce in the first place. Managing our waste should not start at the point from when the waste is already generat- ed but from the point of manufacturing, down to the supply chain and consumption. The eco- nomic costs of the waste management crisis are significant. Government spends millions of euros each year on waste disposal, and with a little bit of collective effort, this money could be better spent on other priorities. maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER 2023 OPINION 11 Martin Galea De Giovanni Martin Galea De Giovanni is director at Friends of the Earth Malta Failure is not an option: Malta's waste management crisis Managing our waste should not start at the point from when the waste is already generated but from the point of manufacturing, down to the supply chain and consumption