Junior College, a post-secondary college established by the University of Malta, this year decided to cover the school's common area chairs and benches with plastic to prevent students from sitting on them to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Paper wristbands were also introduced to monitor students entering the campus.
When I saw this, I sent an email to the Junior College administration to meet a representative. We met on December 9, 2020. The representative told me that they had no control over the wristbands but were responsible for the plastic. This was a short-term solution for the 2020-2021 year, they said, And no alternatives for plastic were considered as there was not enough time.
When the students returned to Junior College after the Christmas holidays the plastic ended up getting damaged and the administration decided to re-lay the plastic instead of seeking alternatives.
I sent another email to Junior College administration, asking about the current waste pilot project, safety regulations which the school has to follow, what type of plastic is being used, if the environmental committee was consulted and if they know how much plastic is being used.
The representative refused to answer my questions. Instead, I was told that they had already met to discuss this issue, that the college has taken many measures in favour of the environment over the years and was obliged to take these measures.
When I contacted the University of Malta rector’s office, a representative explained that the rector would not be giving me a statement as the Junior College representative had already given me one.
On October 28, 2020, the government released legislation introducing restrictions on single-use plastic products. The new law banned the importation of many single-use plastic products as of January 1 and will ban their sale as of January 2022. It aims to create a cultural shift away from single-use plastic.
Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia told me that in his opinion plastic is not inherently bad, as it is lightweight, reducing transportation energy, and durable, reducing material usage.
Plastic played a crucial role in the fight against COVID-19, he said
Problems arose “when the use of plastic becomes indiscriminate in the context of an irresponsible attitude towards consumption and subsequent disposal,” he said.
Oxo-degradable plastic is plastic that is made of petroleum-based polymers that contain additives that accelerate their degradation when exposed to heat or light. When this plastic degrades it creates microplastics that are dangerous to the environment and if they end up in the sea, they will be eaten by the fish we eat.
This type of plastic can no longer be imported as of January 2021 and will be illegal to sell as of next year. Is the plastic being used in Junior College oxo-degradable?
This year the Junior College Student Council partnered with Nature Trust to collaborate in their litter less program to reduce waste in our school. Why is the school working against the student council by generating unnecessary waste?
The Environment and Resources Agency states that businesses and private entities are working to help in creating the necessary cultural shift. Is the school helping with this cultural shift by placing plastic everywhere?
The Maltese government is focusing on reducing single-use plastic while the state’s largest sixth form school is placing plastic everywhere. Is this a contradicting message?
There were alternatives to using plastic to wrap chairs and paper wristbands for students. Extra chairs could have been removed and stored. for the future, or using a stamp on the hand instead of wristbands, to mention a few. Why weren’t these considered?
In order for a cultural shift to occur we all need to join hands. That includes the private sector, the government and education institutions like the Junior College. If we do nothing about this issue, we would have failed future generations with our actions.
Isaac Sam Camilleri is a Junior College student and part of the Young Reporters for the Environment programme.