Lidl Malta has removed all single-use plastic plates, cups and cutlery from its shelves and replaced them with eco-friendly alternatives.

Customers at the supermarket chain's eight stores will now be offered biodegradable and compostable dishware, the company announced.

The initiative will remove 5 million pieces of single use plastic from the market, amounting to 27 tons of plastic sold every year.

“Discontinuing single-use plastic from all our shelves will definitely leave a mark on our customers’ shopping habits," Mark Farrugia, regional director of Lidl Malta.

"This will in turn positively influence behaviours and reap benefits for the environment."

"Green" replacement to plastic cups

Malta had the fifth-highest level of waste generation in the EU per capita in 2017, according to the most recent statistics from Eurostat.

In May, the Maltese government announced a single-use plastic strategy for consultation.

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 set to be implemented in the next few years. 

Lidl's new dishware is made from biopolymers PLA and Mater-Bi, which are derived from corn starch, and cellulose pulp, obtained from the leftovers of fast-growing plants processing, especially sugar cane. 

"As a socially responsible company we feel that this action, within our assortment strategy is very meaningful," said Mr Farrugia.

He said the company is committed to cut 20 per cent by 2025.

Other Maltese supermarkets have also made steps in a more eco-friendly direction. 

In May, Valyou Supermarkets announced in a Facebook post they would be banning single-use straws, cutlery and cups from their stores. Valyou had already started implementing more environmental initiatives in 2018, for example by allowing customers to bring their own reusable containers to purchase from the deli counter.