GRTU's advice putting companies in 'hot water' says GreenPak

Schembri said that the “wrong advice” by the GRTU to Maltese traders was communicated “through various circulars and over a period of two to three years.”

He said that between 2006 and 2008 “at the time when Maltese traders could either join GreenPak for packaging recycling or engage in self-compliance, Vincent Farrugia, the Director General of the GRTU was advising Maltese traders ‘not to do anything as joining a compliance scheme would have put them in a difficult situation later’.”

Schembri said that Maltese Traders are seeing “the exact opposite, as companies who ignored GRTU’s advice and joined GreenPak are in the clear.”

He said that those traders who followed GRTU’s advice “now find themselves in hot water for having failed to comply with waste packaging regulations as, over the past few weeks, MEPA has been issuing hefty fines in terms of law.”

Schembri also said that in some cases, MEPA fines being applied by Maltese traders for failing to comply with packaging regulations run into thousands of Euros.

He added that the waste packaging regulations make Maltese traders responsible for setting up systems for the collection and recycling of packaging waste generated through their trade.

They have two options at their disposal to comply with these regulations: either set up their own take-back system or else join a scheme specifically geared to ensure legal compliance, he said, adding that for a time, only the GreenPak scheme was licensed to collect and recycle packaging waste on a national level and on behalf of Maltese traders.

Schembri also said that GreenPak scheme is part of the large international organisation of Green Dot, which brings together 33 countries running national schemes under the PROEUROPE umbrella, which provided an early solution for Malta.

“This however was not to the liking of GRTU as at the time they were advising companies not to join GreenPak to the detriment of law abiding companies. Such advice is now proving to be very costly to all those who heeded GRTU’s call. It is very confusing for us to now read in articles originating from GRTU stating that they or their subsidiary Green MT are not in any way responsible for the fines imposed by MEPA,” Schembri said.

He added how recently, the Ombudsman had also found in favour of traders who joined GreenPak’s scheme from the beginning in 2006. Former Chief Justice Dr. J. Said Pullicino concluded that traders participating in GreenPak’s scheme were entitled not to pay eco-contributions as from the time they first joined the scheme.

“We were very pleased to have achieved this milestone, as GreenPak has always fought in the genuine interest of its members. Today, traders who are part of GreenPak are reaping the rewards,” Schembri said.