Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/349229
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 20 JULY 2014 10 News Maltese not keen on buying second-hand JAMES DEBONO THE Maltese and Cypriots are second only to Romanian citizens in their aversion for second-hand products, a survey by Eurobarometer reveals. Respondents in a Eurobarometer survey were asked whether they would buy second-hand books, CDs, video games, furniture, electrical ap- pliances and textiles. Only 16% of all EU respondents said they would not buy any of these products second-hand, compared to 36% of Maltese and Cypriot re- spondents. Moreover while 34% of EU citizens would buy second-hand textiles, only 9% of Maltese would. A majority of people in Estonia (63%), Finland (55%) and Latvia (51%) say they would buy second- hand textiles. In contrast, only 9% of respondents in Malta and 15% in Cyprus say they would do this. In 17 EU states, at least 50% of peo- ple say that they would buy second- hand furniture. Seven out of 10 peo- ple would do this in Sweden (79%), Finland (76%) and Denmark (73%), while sharply fewer people would do so in Malta (26%), Romania (28%) and Bulgaria (32%). Buying second-hand electronic equipment would be considered by at least 50% of people in just three Member States: Spain (58%), Portu- gal (54%) and the UK (51%). The countries where the fewest people would consider this are Malta (18%), Romania (27%) and Estonia (28%). The number of people who say they would buy second-hand house- hold electrical appliances ranges from 49% in Portugal and 47% in Spain to just 12% in Malta and 21% in Ireland. In 10 Member States, at least a fifth of people say spontaneously that they would not buy any of these products second-hand. Romania (40%), Cy- prus (36%) and Malta (36%) have the highest proportions of people who give this answer. Finland and Swe- den (both 8%) have the fewest people who would not buy any of the prod- ucts second-hand. Maltese averse to tap water 59% of EU citizens interviewed in the Eurobarometer survey say that they drink tap water to avoid pack- aging waste. In contrast, only 27% of Maltese are willing to drink tap wa- ter to avoid plastic waste. Drinking tap water to avoid pack- aging waste is widespread in five Member States: Finland (89%), Swe- den (86%), Slovakia (80%), Slovenia (77%) and Croatia (75%). A majority of people in 21 countries say they drink tap water as a way of managing their waste. However, only 27% of people do it in Malta and 36% in Cyprus. Maltese tolerate junk mail Only 27% of Maltese make an ef- fort to stop junk mail. In nine Member States a majority of respondents say that they have made an effort to stop receiving un- wanted mail. This proportion is highest in the UK (71%), followed by Germany (66%) and Portugal (64%). On the other hand, about one in four re- spondents have taken this step in Malta (27%) and Croatia (28%). Only 23% of Maltese make com- post in their own homes. In 12 EU countries over half of the respond- ents say that they undertake home composting. This approach is most popular in Austria (66%), the Czech Republic (61%) and Finland (57%), and least popular in Greece (19%), Malta (23%), Cyprus (25%) and the Netherlands (25%). Maltese against tariffs The Maltese would prefer the price of waste management to be included in its price than to pay additional tar- iffs on unseparated waste. A majority of people in just four EU countries believe that higher tariffs on unsorted waste would convince them to separate more of it: Portu- gal (60%), Belgium (53%), Germany (53%) and Austria (51%). This op- tion is least popular in Estonia (15%), Hungary (22%) and Malta (23%). Paying in proportion to the quanti- ty of unsorted waste which is gener- ated is the preferred approach in all but four Member States, and is sup- ported by the highest percentages of people in Italy (58%), Belgium (54%) and Finland (54%). Support for this approach is lowest in Malta (23%). In the four other countries, includ- ing the cost of waste management in the price of products is the most popular approach: Romania (36%), Bulgaria (35%), the UK (35%) and Malta (31%). No second-hand please, we're Maltese: artist Macklemore in the video for his song 'Thrift Shop', a humorous ode to second-hand clothes Hamrun kiosk wants to carve layby out of public square A planning application for the extension of a kiosk in Pjazza San Frangisk in Hamrun is proposing the formation of a layby, where up to four cars can park temporarily in front of the extended kiosk. The plans submitted last week show the proposed layby carved out of the existing public square. The application also seeks the sanctioning of tables and chairs not fully covered by previous permits. The new kiosk will be 3.6 metres high and 8 metres long and will be cladded in wood. Since the site is government- owned, the developer has notified the government of his intentions through a registered letter. According to established policy the government grants its consent to applications by private individu- als relating to public land only after these applications are processed by the Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority. The application is still at its initial stages and the MEPA has still to is- sue a screening letter informing the developer about whether the devel- opment conforms to existing poli- cies or not. The kiosk had been rebuilt fol- lowing a permit issued in 1997, with the permit also allowing the owner to set tables on part of the square. An 18 square metre kiosk is also being proposed at Wied iz-Zurrieq. The three-metre high kiosk is be- ing proposed on vacant public land lying in Congreve Road at the en- trance to a belvedere which over- looks the picturesque sea views of Wied iz-Zurrieq. The kiosk will have a terracotta coloured cast iron roofing and a green cast iron frame and shutters. The application is still at its initial stages.