Takeaway cups and ketchup packets could be banned in EU

Dec 2 2022

The European Union could soon move to ban single use plastics which include small shampoo bottles in hotels, mayo or ketchup packets and even coffee takeaway cups.

European Commissioners Frans Timmermans (Green Deal) and Virginijus Sinkevičius (Environment) made these proposals in a bill to reduce packaging waste, the NOS reports.

The EC wants to ban cafes and coffee shops from using disposable cups when customers drink their beverage on site. The target date is 2040, with an aim of having 80% of takeaway cups being reusable by then.

Disposable packaging won’t be allowed in restaurants and fast food chains if customers eat on the spot. Food and drink packaging are t be reusable and refillable more often.

Meanwhile, beer sellers must sell 10% of their drinks in refillable bottles by 2030, and 20% by ten years later. this also includes a ban on fruit in foam trays covered with plastic.

Other items being targeted are large delivery boxes containing small products and any material that remains after these changes must be as recyclable or degradable as possible.

This plan should decrease packaging waste per EU resident by 15% in 2040 when compared to 2018. The bill still has to pass through the EP and the individual member states, and could take at least 3 years for implementation.

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New General Manager at TBWA\ANG: Zsuzsanna Papp

$New General Manager at TBWA\ANG: Zsuzsanna Papp$

Dec 2 2022

TBWA\ANG, the disruption agency, has today announced the appointment of Zsuzsanna Papp as General Manager of Associated News Group. Recruited from within the company, Zsuzsanna has previously managed internal Operations at the agency.

Zsuzsanna has held positions in different international agencies and was the country manager and subsequently regional director for Publicis Worldwide and recently worked as consultant for brand development and communication projects. She will report directly to Executive Chairperson, Julianne Grima.

“The agency is truly creative, vibrant and enjoys a good atmosphere and this position coupled with my experience, will give me the opportunity to fine tune our operation to maximise our service offering to current and prospective clients,” says Zsuzsanna.

TBWA\ANG was started in 1970 and has a broad portfolio of clients both locally and internationally, counting McDonalds, BOV, Brown’s Pharmacies, Victim Support, Expedition42 and Neatplay among its clients. The agency also produces the Il-Bizzilla magazine for AirMalta. The agency offers a full marketing service with branding and creativity at its core.

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World’s most expensive cities to live in – Malta not in top 50

Dec 2 2022

Various surveys have conducted research to find out which are the most expensive cities to live in across the world – and Malta is nowhere to be seen on any list.

From a 2022 cost of living study conducted by Mercer, which compared the prices of housing, transportation, food, clothing and other essentials, a total of 55 cities were listed, with Hong Kong, China taking top spot.

The main reason the Chinese city topped the list was its over 7 million people living in it, with the competitive demand for housing sky-rocketing prices.

In another study, the Worldwide Cost of Living Index, which was released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), it was found that the average cost of living is up 8.1% in 2022.

According to this list, New York and Singapore tied in top place, followed by Tel Aviv Israel. The EIU tracked everyday expenses in 172 cities around the world. Most of this is being owed to the Ukraine war and the pandemic’s consequences.

A recent NSO report revealed that in Malta, 20.3% of the Maltese population was at risk of poverty and social exclusion. This year, the at risk of poverty threshold was calculated at €10,222.

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25 storm calls addressed by Civil Protection last weekend

Dec 2 2022

The Civil Protection Department addressed 25 storm related calls last weekend, Times of Malta revealed, after the islands were hit by severe weather.

Over 70 officers from the department were on the ground at any one time across Saturday and Sunday, helping people as vehicles got stuck in water and other debris disrupted traffic and commuting.

A CPD spokesperson told the newsroom tat the most challenging job was rescuing people from vehicles stuck in flooded areas.

Giving a shout out to NGOs who support the department on such days, the spokesperson also said that in such situations the department calls in additional resources to ensure maximum safety for all.

Heavy investment into additional vehicles and equipment massively helps, the spokesperson said, even if getting to the incident spot in such weather is a challenge in itself.

Malta was battered by rain, heavy wind as well as thunder and lightning. The worse seems to have passed for now as Malta is expected to have mainly sunny weather this weekend.

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