GreenPak welcomes MEPA’s drive to ensure environmental compliance by all operators

Requests made by MEPA or other regulatory bodies in terms of applicable environmental legislation, to improve on the low record currently registered by Malta in packaging waste recycling are welcome. “Every effort to help Malta move up from the bottom of the EU league where recycling of packaging waste is concerned is a step in the right direction and can serve Malta well in the near future.” This was stated by GreenPak, which operates the largest waste recovery scheme in the Maltese Islands, following the recent launch of MEPA’s online registration.

MEPA are currently advising producers of packaging, electronic equipment, and batteries and accumulators that the annual registration process has been launched online.  GreenPak has already informed its 300 member companies that it had already registered GreenPak members with MEPA well before this deadline and therefore they do not need to register with MEPA vis-à-vis packaging waste.

Producers were reminded by GreenPak that as members of the scheme, there are various obligations in respect of which they are exempted from in terms of the law, which obligations are in turn carried out on their behalf by the scheme. Amongst other things, GreenPak members do not need to register with MEPA vis-à-vis packaging waste since this is done automatically by GreenPak on their behalf upon signing up to the scheme or renewing their membership. Thus, GreenPak said that any requests by MEPA sent to members to register online for the purposes of terms of the Waste Packaging have therefore already been catered for.

“Once a company joins GreenPak, which has uninterruptedly operated a MEPA-authorized compliance packaging waste scheme since 2006, that member immediately delegates the packaging waste registering process to GreenPak. In turn, GreenPak assumes all responsibility for MEPA’s requirements in this regard,” said Ing Mario Schembri, GreenPak’s CEO.  

Importers, manufacturers, producers or anyone doing trade in the Maltese market is required by law to recover and recycle the packaging generated through such an activity.  By joining the GreenPak scheme, any operator automatically transfers these obligations onto the scheme.

Established in 2004, GreenPak operates a compliance scheme that recovers and recycles packaging waste in the Maltese Islands. Apart from transferring legal responsibility for packaging recovery to GreenPak, signing up to the scheme provides companies with Waste collection of packaging waste from warehouse at no extra cost, Eligibility for exemption from the eco-contribution tax, ongoing expert advice, and assurance in confidentiality of members' data.

GreenPak is the pioneer of packaging waste recovery in Malta and has successfully lobbied government to apply an exemption from eco-contribution for those companies that are members of a MEPA-authorised packaging waste recycling scheme. This application has come into force earlier this month.

Up till end 2009, the GreenPak scheme had recovered 7,172 tons of packaging waste and diverted it away from going to landfill.

The GreenPak scheme is endorsed by the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry and the Malta Hotels and Restaurant Association (MHRA). In November 2009 GreenPak Ltd changed its status to GreenPak Coop Society, to guarantee a not-for-profit operations