The DRS is operated by BCRS Malta, the licensed not-for-profit private operator of the national Beverage Container Refund Scheme, and Sensoneo is providing a DRS IT service for the scheme having run the same for Slovakia. - PackagingNews

A deposit of 0.10 euro is added when buying beverages in single-use containers within the DRS scope. The scheme covers aluminum and steel cans, glass and PET bottles with a capacity between 0.1 and 3 litres. Dairy, juices, wine and alcoholic spirits exceeding 5.0 % alcohol by volume are not included in the scheme.

Edward Chetcuti, chief executive of BCRS Malta

Bringing the DRS to Malta has been considerably influenced by the strong tourism in the country. While the population of the island country is about 517,000, in summer season tourists often outnumber locals.

The scheme will feature 3,500 registered products, with 320+ reverse vending machines across the country, 60 recycling hubs, and 70 collection points in retail outlets.

The RVM network in Malta is very impressive. Although it is quite a small country, the population density especially in the summer season is very high. Therefore I believe it is smart to put RVM in almost every square kilometer so it is as convenient as possible for the people to return their cans and bottles.

Peter Knaz, DRS & Take-Back Systems division director in Sensoneo

The Mediterranean region is not known to be the most disciplined place in the world when it comes to following the rules, so the DRS also brings a big cultural shift. We are proud of being the first Mediterranean country to take on this challenge.

Chetcuti said he sees the DRS not only as a new tool to ramp up the recycling rate but also as a way to change mindset around being environmentally conscious