BCRS Malta Ltd, the authorised operator of the national Beverage Container Refund Scheme, celebrated a remarkable achievement in its first year of operation, having collected over 204 million beverage containers. According to the BCRS Chairman when speaking to TVM News, the Bottle Collection and Recycling Scheme in Malta has seen more than 220 million containers collected in its inaugural year, ending in November. On the other hand, Pierre Fava, Chairman of BCRS Malta Ltd, expressed gratitude for the community’s enthusiastic participation in embracing this circular economy initiative.

In its inaugural year since November 2022, BCRS Malta successfully collected 79% of single-use beverage containers in circulation, forwarding them to an approved operator for efficient recycling, achieving an impressive 72% recycling rate.

The BCRS initiative, marked by dozens of collection hubs and over 300 machines strategically placed nationwide, has significantly altered the landscape of container recycling. With TVM News Pierre Fava highlighted the scheme’s success, stating that during the summer months alone, approximately one million drink containers were collected daily.

The BCRS scheme also highlighted a heartening trend where many individuals, instead of redeeming their vouchers, opted to donate the funds to the Malta Community Chest Fund. This charitable act has proven instrumental, with over €150,000 in donations recently contributing to this noble cause. This donation was presented to ‘L-istrina’ on Boxing Day.

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In a recent Eurobarometer survey, a comprehensive study tracking public opinions on social and political issues, Malta’s picture of attitudes towards discrimination and interpersonal relationships.

The survey, conducted twice a year across the European Union, sheds light on evolving perspectives within Maltese society, particularly regarding discrimination based on skin color, religion, and gender identity.

According to the findings, a substantial 70% of respondents in Malta acknowledged the prevalence of discrimination based on skin color, marking a significant 11-percentage point increase since the last survey in 2019. This surge, alongside Cyprus, represents one of the highest spikes in the EU. Interestingly, France and the Netherlands topped the list with 78% of respondents perceiving discrimination based on skin color as widespread, while Latvia (22%) and Lithuania (25%) reported the lowest prevalence.

The survey delved deep into personal relationships, revealing that over 40% of Maltese respondents expressed discomfort with the idea of their child dating a Muslim or transgender person. This statistic is 19 and 12 percentage points above the EU average, respectively.

Notably, Malta witnessed an increase in reported instances of discrimination, with 22% of respondents indicating they had experienced discrimination in the past 12 months. While this marks a 14-percentage point increase since 2019, it only marginally surpasses the EU average by one percentage point.

One striking revelation from the survey is Malta’s unique identification of ‘disability’ as the primary factor affecting job opportunities. A notable 65 % of respondents believed that disability could disadvantage a candidate when vying for a job, reflecting a significant 38-percentage point increase since 2019—the highest surge across the EU and 50 % above the European average.

Moreover, Malta exhibited the second-highest proportion (57 %) of respondents who believed that skin color could negatively impact job prospects and the third-highest share (50 %) for those associating ethnicity with potential hiring biases. This signals a heightened awareness of multiple forms of discrimination within employment settings.

The survey also highlighted the persistence of discriminatory factors, including skin color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and home address, all mentioned more frequently by respondents compared to the 2019 survey.

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