Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/984659
21 COMMERCIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 MAY 2018 Crack down on waste with good glass practices AS an inert and fully recycla- ble material, glass is the pre- ferred packaging choice for consumers concerned about their health and the envi- ronment. Glass is the most effectively recycled material in Europe (67% on average) and is the best example of the closed loop production model according to recent research conducted by the European Container Glass Federation. Glass has a well-established separate collection scheme. In Malta, glass is collected once a month from door- steps of households in most localities; or it can be taken to a Bring-in or civic amen- ity site at any time. Rigorous safety precautions mean that it is collected separately from other recyclables since it can shatter and cause injury and so needs to be handled on its own. Light bulbs, mirrors, glazed window glass, ceramic dishes, ovenware, glass kitch- enware and crystal cannot be included with clear or tinted glass such as food and bever- age containers because sev- eral types of glass have vary- ing properties and cannot be recycled together. Recyclable glass must meet quality standards to ensure it can be transformed into new glass containers. Contami- nants in recyclable glass can ruin an entire batch of oth- erwise good glass and there- fore it is recommended to give containers a quick rinse before recycling. With the introduction of the Beverage Container Refund Scheme (BCRS), certain glass bottles will be subject to a deposit, which will then be refunded once the empty container is collected in one of the au- tomated vending machines. Further details on this scheme are due to be pub- lished soon. The BCRS will also include plastic and metal containers. Glass is collected and taken to Wasteserv's recycling fa- cilities. Following this, it is exported for further process- ing where it is separated by colour and then broken into small pieces called cullet. The glass is further crushed and the processing unit re- moves any iron containing compounds as well as labels. Once crushed, the glass cul- let is mixed with sand and melted in a furnace to cre- ate new molten glass. The molten glass is then recast in- to new glass bottles and jars. More reused and recycled glass supports the environ- ment by extracting fewer raw materials and generating less waste, resulting in lower en- ergy consumption and GHG emissions. But even before putting glass out to be collected, think about how to reuse some of it. Glass jars for ex- ample can store dry foods, taken to supermarkets' deli counters and filled for re-use, used for storage of small fid- dly things like Lego, pins and so many other things. Reducing our waste footprint: information seminars to continue this spring ACCORDING to a recent Eurostat sur- vey, in 2016 Malta ranked second in gen- erating the highest amount of municipal waste, with each person producing over 600kgs of waste every year. With only two years to go before Maghtab reaches its full capacity, we don't need further proof that as a nation and as individuals we need to redouble our efforts to re- duce our waste footprint. As part of its ongoing efforts to raise more awareness on the need to man- age our waste in a more sustainable manner, the national communications campaign – Don't waste waste, together with the Ministry for the Environment, Wasteserv and the ERA, continues to organise and hold information semi- nars in collaboration with local councils, day-care centres and scout groups from several localities on good waste manage- ment practices. During these events a waste expert from GreenPak, carries out engaging talks covering topics like waste separa- tion at home, hazardous waste, food waste, organic waste and its pilot project and home composting, offering use- ful tips and techniques. Attendees are encouraged to participate, and answer questions put forward by the waste ex- pert about how different items of waste should be disposed of, clarifying any in- correct answers along the way. He also encourages the audience to ask questions to help clarify any miscon- ceptions, with the most common ones being about the disposal of electronic goods and medicine, the disposal of waste in the black bag when instead it should be recycled, the improper use of bring-in-sites and the collection of glass. Audiences are encouraged to take part through interactive and engaging ses- sions which include competitions and quizzes. So far feedback has been incredibly positive with high attendance rates and a very engaged audience keen to improve on their waste separation habits. In an effort to capture as wide an au- dience as possible, these seminars are also organised for a much wider audi- ence reached through popular TV pro- gramme Xarabank too. The campaign also targets public and popular locations like Valletta and Sliema with an informa- tion stand set up to answer queries and hand out useful branded merchandise such as leaflets, pens and note pads.