Those relishing downing a pint at the annual Farsons Beer Festival being held at Ta’ Qali can this year go home safe in the knowledge they helped cut down on some 650 kilograms of single-use plastic.
As part of efforts to help eradicate single-use plastic cups and bottles, the organisers of the annual event this year opted to introduce reusable cups. This will see the reduction of some 650kgs of single-use plastic by the end of the 10-day festival.
Speaking to Times of Malta as thousands continued to flock to the Ta’ Qali grounds, one of the organisers described how the move was “an investment and a leap of faith”, saying planning for such a change was in line with Farsons’ commitment for a greener festival.
What has changed this year?
In previous years, festival goers could either consume the beer in glass beer mugs or plastic cups.
This year, instead, reusable cups must be purchased, for 50c, as a replacement for the single-use ones used in previous years.
Several water sources have been set up all over the grounds for people to rinse the cups before they are reused. The organisers said there were no complaints by festival goers, who have grown accustomed to the single-use plastic cups over the 36 years the event has been held. On the contrary, the shift, she pointed out, has actually been very positively received.
“Quite a few people are commenting positively about the cleanliness in general. The community in general wants this change and the few negative comments were quickly addressed by the public themselves,” she said.
How is society adapting?
In recent months, concern over the impact of single-use plastic has grown steadily, with more people calling for a complete ban of such items.
In an unprecedented move, the EU in January adopted a directive to introduce much-anticipated laws to ban single-use plastics, prompting the Maltese government to unveil its own strategy.
A ban on single-use plastics, the end of free plastic bags at shops, and restrictions on other non-biodegradable products are among the green measures that will be implemented in the next few years in line with this strategy.
What prompted the switch?
While the move had been planned for some time, it was also “in sync with the pulse of the general community," organisers said.
“We started this greener initiative last year, when, in collaboration with Wasteserv, Greenpak and NGO Żibel, we facilitated an increase in separation of recyclable material at the festival.
“It is to be noted that in addition to the launch of the reusable cup this year, we also eliminated soft drinks in PET bottles and the next step will be to find alternatives for the few remaining products in PET bottles,” she said.
What is single-use plastic and why is it a problem?
Single-use plastics, or disposable plastics, are used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.
These items include plastic bags, straws, coffee stirrers, soft-drinks and water bottles and most food packaging.
The UN Environment reports just nine per cent of the world’s nine billion tonnes of plastic has been recycled.
Most of this plastic ends up in landfills, oceans and waterways, and the environment.
Most plastics do not biodegrade and instead they slowly break down into smaller pieces of plastic called microplastics that take up thousands of years to decompose, contaminating soil and water.