The St Paul’s Bay council has warned it will block access to BCRS machines in the locality if people continue dumping rubbish around them and if the operator fails to clean the mess.
In an angry post on Facebook, mayor Alfred Grima warned that the council is prepared to take “drastic steps” if the situation is ignored.
“The negative effect on the environment and the residents is forcing the local council to consider taking drastic steps, including blocking these machines, in the event that the authorities remain passive,” he said in his post.
A total of 320 Beverage Container Refund Scheme (BCRS) machines were switched on across the island on November 14. Over 40 tonnes worth of empty containers were collected within a week, with the demand being so high that the company said it will deploy more machines in the near future.
The system nudges people to recycle by introducing a 10c deposit when buying drink containers which can then be reclaimed if they return their containers to a reverse vending machine. The company aims for 70 per cent of its containers to be recycled within two years.
The scheme itself has been set up to partially fulfil the implementation of an EU directive on plastic packaging.
BCRS Malta is a non-profit consortium made up of Malta’s biggest beverage operators and regulated by Circular Economy Malta, a government entity.
Grima said a considerable amount of waste was being left around the recycling machines scattered around his locality on a daily basis.
“The company responsible for the machines is obliged to ensure that the area remains clean. Another clear example of inefficiency in the environmental enforcement system: having issued the trading license without ensuring that the imposed conditions are being honoured,” he said.
BCRS Chairman Pierre Fava said leaving rubbish around the machines was abusive, adding that an educational campaign was needed so that people stopped littering.
He said CCTV footage from cameras installed around the machines will be passed on to the authorities for enforcement.
"We are doing our part. There are bins near every machine so that containers not accepted by the machines can be thrown there. We empty these bins 15 times a day. But we're seeing black bags and big boxes left around the machines. This is not on," he said.
He added that the area around the machines is cleared every Friday and Sunday.
Fava said 440,000 containers were collected on Tuesday, while another 400,000 were collected on Boxing Day.
The company already shipped 160 tons of plastic containers while the first 50 tonnes of cans and 50 tonnes of coloured plastic will be shipped in January.