These vending machines will give 10c back for every used plastic bottle

Nov 4 2021

A new beverage scheme, which is set to launch in April of 2022, will give users up to 10c in exchange for every used plastic bottle. Signed earlier today, the deal for the Beverage Container Refund Scheme seeks to raise awareness and practicality to recycling in Malta and to bridge the gap of the production cycle of single-use beverage bottles or cans.

The BCRS signed an agreement with Envipco today, covering the supply, installation and servicing of Reverse Vending Machines, which will play an important role in this eco-friendly initiative. The reverse vending machines will be installed across different localities.

A small deposit of €0.10 is added to the purchase price of the beverage where the market cycle commences at the beverage producer or importing stage. The refund will be returned to the consumer upon the return of the beverage container to the vending machine. With plans to achieve high recycling targets and aiming for an 85% return of all beverage containers by 2026, this initiative could change the Maltese perception of eco-friendly initiatives.

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Photo Source: BCRS Malta

First COVID-19 treating pill approved in the UK

Nov 4 2021

The UK has become the first to give legal approval to a new pill designed to treat COVID-19. With more than 104 million doses of the vaccine administered in the UK, with an estimated 45.8 fully vaccinated, the country is still experiencing a massive spike in cases. Just yesterday, on the 3rd of November, 41,299 positive cases were reported, along with 217 deaths and more than 141,000 people having lost their lives to the virus.

However, the new pill is meant to crack down on COVID-19 for those recently tested positive. Molnupiravir, which was developed by US drug company Merck, is the first oral antiviral medication for COVID-19, BBC News reports. It will be given twice a day for 5 days to patients over the age of 18. The pill allegedly cut the risk of hospitalisations or deaths by half among patients with early symptoms.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that today is a historic day for the UK, as it is the first country in the world to approve an antiviral which can also be taken at home to combat COVID-19. ‘We are working at pace across the government and with the NHS to set out plans to deploy molnupiravir to patients through a national study as soon as possible.’ What do you make of this?

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The world’s best cheese for 2021 has been revealed…

Nov 4 2021

Attention all cheese lovers – the master of all cheeses has been chosen and it’s… Olavidia – a soft goat’s cheese from Spain. It won first place at the World Cheese Awards (yes, that exists) on Wednesday, besting an entire field of 4,079 entries from more than 40 countries on five continents. Olavidia is made by an artisan cheesemaker using the commercial name Quesos y Besos (Cheeses and Kisses), and it received 103 votes, besting second place finisher from France.

A British judge, Jason Hinds, described the cheese before the rest of the panel, saying that it had a ‘rich, seductive, creamy texture’ and a ‘flavour that was round and warm’. ‘I just wanted to go to bed with it’ he claimed. Sexual innuendos aside, owner of the winning cheese producer Silvia Pelaez said that they are a small humble cheesemaker in Jaen, and that daily labour has its reward.

The goat’s cheese has a noticeable black stripe in the middle, something the judges highlighted. The product was described as matured with penicillium candid and olive stone ash (with the latter probably accounting for the black stripe). With some 250 judges ranging from food scientists and chefs mingling with each other and the cheeses, the Spanish product managed to outrank all its competition.

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Photo Source: CNN

Malta could lose 16% of groundwater volume due to climate change

Nov 4 2021

Despite our island being one of the poorest countries globally in terms of water resources, Malta could lose 16% of its groundwater volume due to the climate change crisis. Groundwater supplies almost half of the portable water in Malta, and 16% could be lost within the next 80 years, a study reports. The study was carried out by scientists from the Universities of Calabria and Malta, lead by Professor Aaron Micallef.

With three-dimensional geological and groundwater models developed for the Maltese islands, there were three predicted effects considered. These involve reduction in precipitation, increase in water demand and the sea-level rise. Water demand plays the most prominent role in reducing groundwater volume, with sea rise being the least impactful. With new measures introduced in the COP26, it remains to be seen whether this crisis could be averted.

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