Soft drink bottlers urge enforcement

The newly formed Malta Association of Soft Drinks Producers elected Louis Farrugia as chairman and Maria Micallef as deputy chairman.

Louis Camilleri was appointed vice-chairman representing the smaller producers.

The association is an associate member of the FOI and has a membership of seven, all producers of non-alcoholic beverages in Malta.

MASDP has also just been elected member of the Union of European Soft Drink Associations.

At its first meeting, the association urged the government to appoint a chairman of the recently announced eco tax commission and to come to an agreement on the terms of reference of the commission with all interested parties. The association said it would like to play its part in finding ways and means on how Malta's waste stream can be better managed.

It also urged the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Rural Affairs Ministry as regulators of the Soft Drink Packaging Legal Notice 158/98 to enforce the current prohibition of one-way soft drinks in cans or one-way bottles. Unfortunately, these packages are currently being sold openly on the market in contravention of existing legislation, the association said.

MASDP maintained that the industry required the full derogation period until the end of 2007, granted through the EU accession treaty to prepare for the necessary investment in one-way packaging. Non-enforcement of the legal notice was detrimental to any such investment plans and the future of the industry, the association said.