The Zminijieta left-wing think tank has said that the introduction of plastic bottles for soft drinks will result in “mountains of plastic waste”, causing damage to the environment and people’s health.
The think tank was referring to the recent liberalisation in the bottling of minerals and soft drinks which are now available in PET and plastic containers.
“The European Union did not allow Malta to retain its previous system whereby plastic bottles where banned for soft drinks. This system was ecologically sensible, as glass bottles had a high return rate. In the name of free market neo-liberalism, the EU argued that Malta was discriminating against plastic bottles.
“The result shall be millions of plastic bottles which shall fill Malta’s landfills, which are already overburdened with tonnes of waste. Apart from being a financial burden on the state, this is ultimately harmful to the environment and to people’s health.
“Half-hearted apologetic arguments about the recycling of plastic bottles are stuck in a capitalist mindset of endless cheap production, which is ultimately causing much damage to the environment. Capitalism is the major cause of climate change”.
Zminijetna said it was against flat-rate taxation on plastic bottles if people have no option but to consume such bottles. “Ultimately, it is the working class which will bear the largest burden of such taxation. Rather, pressure should be made within the EU for the eventual phasing-out of plastic bottles. This is the only honest policy which will save the environment from further harm. Responsibility should ultimately be on the state and producers.”