How BCRS supports a culture of sustainability in Malta

Davina Schembri is an Educational Psychologist and Sustainable Living Advocate

Growing up in a throwaway culture meant it was normal to consume a product and then throw it away when there was no longer any use for it. As I got older and started to learn about climate change and the factors contributing to it, I began to understand that while the system needs to change, as a consumer I also have a responsibility to the planet.

Eventually, I started to make changes in my life that would reduce my impact such as shopping second-hand, no longer buying from fast fashion companies, and switching to a plant-based diet. I started attending beach clean-ups and using reusable bags when shopping for groceries. At the same time, I also acknowledged that we live in a linear economy and that being perfectly sustainable would never be possible.

In November 2022 the BCRS system was introduced to Malta to incentivise “the return of single-use beverage containers by applying a refundable deposit on the sales of beverages”. This made it the 13th country in the EU to launch the scheme, and the first in the Mediterranean. Since its introduction BCRS Malta reported that 79% of the single-use beverage containers in circulation were collected through the BCRS system which is something to be celebrated. While there sadly still is a lot of litter in our streets and public spaces, I can confidently say I rarely see beverage containers being discarded - and if they are left on the ground, there will be someone willing to collect them shortly after.

The BCRS system however is not the solution to the climate crisis. The 5Rs of waste management are commonly referenced in the sustainable/low waste spheres. These are Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Repurpose and Recycle. These are typically presented as an inverted triangle with recycling being at the bottom point - the R that should be given the least attention. This is because recycling is the result of new items being created and recycling in itself is still resource intensive and plastic packaging in particular cannot be recycled indefinitely. Instead of focusing on recycling plastic bottles, people should be asking themselves what they can be using instead. This is one of the reasons why I have hardly used the BCRS because I barely drink soft drinks and drink filtered water.

While as consumers we should focus on reusing, repurposing and refusing, there is no denying that plastic is here to stay, and we will be in situations where we might have to buy an item with single-use packaging. For that reason, having BCRS around is helpful because it helps keep rubbish off the streets and incentivises people to separate their rubbish increasing the amount of beverage containers being recycled. As the BCRS system is approaching its second birthday in Malta, here are some recommendations on how it can address its growing pains;

1. continue to increase the types of beverage items that are accepted
2. increase the number of machines in different localities to increase accessibility
3. potentially implement a fast (1 bag or less) vs slow machine for people with a small amount of items to recycle
4. regular maintenance to prevent machines from breaking down.
5. Plastic packaging of beverage containers should be swapped for materials that are infinitely recyclable like metal or glass.
6. Better management of waste left at the machine sites e.g. discarded bags, containers that were not accepted etc.

Hopefully, instead of being seen as the solution to our waste problem, the BCRS will complement a new culture of reducing/ repurposing/ refusing in Malta.