More than €43,000 were donated to the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation by BCRS users who chose to forfeit their voucher and donate the 10c beverage container deposit to the charity.

When the Beverage Container Refund Scheme (BCRS) came into force last November, the operators introduced an extra step to its reverse vending machines to allow the public the opportunity to directly donate the deposit towards the MCCFF.

This initiative was initially linked to the Boxing Day fund-raising campaign L-Istrina — when a total of €14,765 was raised during Christmastime — but BCRS Malta Ltd chose to leave this option available on the machines well into the new year. It remains open to date.

BCRS Malta chairman Pierre Fava handed over the funds to President George Vella, who on Thursday visited the Clearing Centre and Sorting Plant in Ħal Far on the eve of Global Recycling Day.

Fava said BCRS Malta was considering the possibility of opening up to other NGOs in the future.

“We never envisaged that the charitable aspect would become such an important part of this operation when BCRS started operating just over 100 days ago,” Fava said.

“As we continue to face environmental challenges, it is heartening to see the public and importers, retailers and producers of beverages creating a social positive impact through an environmental initiative,” President Vella said.

Since the bottle-return scheme kicked off four months ago, more than 42 million empty containers have been recovered, with more than 1,600 tonnes exported to fully certified recycling companies in Europe. 

On average, some 400,000 bottles are collected each day, with the bulk, 70 per cent, mostly plastic.