'We did not inflate our figures' - GRTU

The GRTU confirmed that 13 beverage companies were exempted from paying their eco contribution after Green MT gave government “guarantees that it would take care of the collection of packaging waste in 22 local councils”.

In the story published last Sunday which included comments by the GRTU, MaltaToday revealed that the company had  declared the recovery of material generated from B'Bugia, Hamrun, Tarxien, Zabbar and Zejtun whose local councils were not in agreement with Green MT and that these declarations helped the company reach the quota necessary to entitle the scheme members a tax exemption.

In its story MaltaToday had also reported that the collection in these localities was paid by Green MT.

In its press release the GRTU claimed that although government had asked local councils to choose a scheme to collect their waste, only a few did so immediately.

“Therefore Green MT identified 22 local councils (whose waste collection bills were no longer paid by government) and started paying for their waste collection.”

These 22 councils included Hamrun and Tarxien - two localities which have categorically denied that they were aware that their waste was collected by Green MT.

The GRTU insists that since its scheme paid for the collection of this waste it did nothing wrong in declaring this waste in audited accounts.

“We did not inflate our figures with waste which did not belong to us.” Reacting to claims by councils that they were not aware that Green MT was collecting their waste in 2009, the GRTU remarked that these councils should ask their contractors whether they were paid by the government or by Green MT:

“These councils are not memebers of Green MT but at that time the scheme had paid for the collection of the waste from these localities and the authorities know about this.”

According to the GRTU it was only thanks to its efforts that the door to door collection for seperated waste has been implemented in all Malta and Gozo and is entirely paid for by the private sector.

It also accused unspecified others for having favoured  deposit schemes which would have harmed both consumers and small businesses.

“The GRTU is not surprised that those effected by the success of the scheme are  irked. What we are astonished is that those who pose as defenders of the environment have no hesitation to defend those who consider the environment only as a source of profit.”