Discarded broken fridges are piling up at Wasteserv facilities because important parts are being taken off them, making recycling difficult.

Malta’s two authorised waste collection and recycling companies,  GreenPak and WEEE Malta, said on Thursday that the current situation was due to a lack of checks by the authorities.

The explained that more than half of the appliances collected from Wasteserv were missing valuable parts.

When parts like motors are ripped away from refrigeration equipment, harmful gases escape into the atmosphere with severe consequences to pollution and the climate. 

“Without these parts, our scheme is having to pay extra money to get them recycled abroad. There is also the environmental problem that is of public concern," Joe Attard, WEEE Malta CEO said.

'Making a quick buck'

He was joined by Greenpak CEO Mario Schembri, who said it is the responsibility of the Environment Resources Authority to take action against those who, to make a quick buck, are pilfering at the expense of the environment.

He said both schemes had informed Wasteserv that scavenged fridges will no longer be removed from its facilities unless they are compensated for the additional costs this illegality is causing. 

How to dispose of a fridge

They pointed out that to dispose of a refrigerator, all a consumer has to do is call the local council, which sends a waste collector to pick it up from outside the residence.

The waste carrier then delivers it to Wasteserv which passes it on for recycling to one of the two schemes.

The procedure is overseen by the ERA to make sure that it is in line with local and EU legislation. 

The operators said that their role is to finance the collection and recycling of discarded appliances as well as to pay Wasteserv for the temporary storage of WEEE received from households.