Housing crisis: Only 300 properties available for rent in Dublin
While supply is becoming virtually nonexistent, rents are increasing faster than anytime in the last 16 years
The SUP strategy and the Waste Management Plan (2021-2030) aim to transform the Maltese economy from a linear to a circular one
Malta is among the first countries to have introduced ambitious legislation for reducing the environmental damage caused by disposable plastic products. The first phase of the Single-Use Plastics Strategy for Malta (2021-2030), having commenced in January 2021, saw a ban on the importation and production of a range of single-use plastic (SUP) items, such as plastic plates, cutlery, straws, drinks mixers, drink vessels and food containers for immediate consumption.
Now, as Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia announced yesterday, the government will proceed with the second phase of the strategy which envisages a prohibition on the sale and distribution of these items from January 2022.
The strategy is based on the EU Commission’s Directive from 2019, which calls for enacting a number of effective measures to reduce the environmental impact of certain SUP products and other plastic items on the environment, Farrugia recalled.
The long-term plastic management plan has been launched for public consultation, and it also includes local research of identifying Malta’s specific plastic problem, he added. The Minister pointed out, as quoted by TVM, that the industry is already using alternatives which will enable the community to take care of its environmental surroundings while remaining competitive at an economic level.
Minister Farrugia also spoke of Malta’s long-term Waste Management Plan (2021-2030), viewing it, on a par with the SUP strategy, as vital for the transformation of the Maltese economy from a linear to a circular one. He explained that the plan, based on the concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, will be put into practice through 130 measures that will be implemented by 2030. This plan together with the ECOHIVE complex will help the Maltese drastically reduce the amount of landfilling, achieve a much higher level of recycling while drastically reducing the waste we produce, Farrugia said.
As part of this plan, further actions will be implemented to increase the separation of waste which will become mandatory, said the Director of the Directorate for the Environment and Climate Change, Ruth Debrincat. She explained that a national reform will take place on waste collection, with the introduction of a uniform garbage truck for all localities.
To decrease refuse from dumps, enabling the recycling of waste for conversion to resource, four new plants will be built in the ECOHIVE complex with an investment of EUR 5 million, the Director added.
The country now joins Finland in urging the EU to stop the issuing of Schengen visas to Russian citizens
While supply is becoming virtually nonexistent, rents are increasing faster than anytime in the last 16 years
Share your thoughts on how the European funds can work better for you and people like you
The isle is a member of the Blue Municipalities Network, which aims to help clean up the Aegean Sea
This year, authorities will be boosting their efforts to get people familiar with different sides of the water body
The country is keen on doing its part to ensure technological independency for the EU
Eric Straumann appealed to local restaurant businesses and citizens to step in, facing the ban on watering due to the extreme drought
A giant underground reservoir will purify water and release it when needed, thus preventing drought and saving a lot of money for the municipality
Mayor Katja Dörner explained that the measure is aimed at low-income residents, as a response to rising fuel prices
Authorities in the city of Bonn have issued a warning to citizens to avoid the unpaved areas in the drying riverbed
The pets living with disadvantaged residents in the Portuguese capital have not been forgotten
The gardens will be part of a cross-border heritage tour with Hungary, focusing on noble families
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
A conversation with the President of the European Committee of the Regions, about energy, climate change and the underrated importance of cohesion policy
Interview with Herald Ruijters, Director, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE), European Commission
A conversation with the Mayor of Matosinhos, Portugal’s first UN Resilience Hub