[WATCH] Disused beverage containers can be exchanged for 10c refund next year

Disused beverage containers will make money in a refund scheme that is expected to start operating by the end of next year, Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia said.

He was speaking on Monday at the signing of a license agreement between the project consortium made up of bottlers and importers and the Resource Recovery and Recycling Agency.

People will be able to deposit disused plastic and aluminium beverage containers in machines and receive a refund of 10c.

The scheme to collect and recycle beverage containers was first floated in 2018 but kept being delayed due to eco-contribution issues.

The consortium is made up of producers, retailers and importers in the beverage industry. Within the next 14 months, a factory will be built by the consortium in Hal Far, where the scheme's clearing centre will be set up.

“These are ambitious goals that touch on the country's wider recycling targets, but they're also part of our holistic plan on waste management,” Farrugia said.

The investment in the scheme’s infrastructure is worth €500 million.

“For the first time in our country, we are going beyond the waste dumps of the past and adopting a clear strategy on single use plastics, and today we also have this scheme that will allow us to achieve our goals ahead of time,” Farrugia explained.