CONSULTATION BRIEF
Start date: 15 December 2021
Closing date: 9 February 2022
Title of the public consultation: Transposition of the remaining Articles of the Single Use Plastics Directive
Ministry: Ministry for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning
Entity: Environment & Resources Authority
- Background
In June 2019, the EU adopted Directive (EU) 2019/904 on the reduction on the impact of certain plastic products on the environment (known as Single Use Plastic or SUP Directive). The SUP Directive targets the most commonly found single-use plastic (SUP) items on European beaches as well as fishing gear and oxo-degradable plastics through a suite of different measures tailored to achieve the most effective results, whilst also taking into account the availability of more sustainable alternatives. Such measures range from market restrictions and separate collection for recycling targets to consumption reduction measures, marking and other product requirements as well as new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) obligations.
In December 2020, Malta enacted the Restrictions on Placing on the Market of Single-Use Plastic Products Regulations (enacted as S.L. 549.140 and S.L 117.41), transposing Article 5 and Articles 6 (1) and 6 (2) of the SUP Directive. In line with the SUP Directive, S.L. 549.140 prohibits the placing on the market of products made from oxo-degradable plastic as well as the SUP products listed in Part A of the Schedule. S.L. 549.140 also prohibits the placing on the market of beverage containers as from 3rd July 2024 if their caps and lids do not remain attached to such containers during the products’ intended use stage.
The transposition of the remaining articles of the SUP Directive into national legislation necessitates a number of amendments to existing waste legislation, as well as the drafting of new framework regulations, such that a total of three Legal Notices (LNs) have been prepared:
- Single-Use Plastic Framework Regulations, 2021;
- Restrictions on Placing on the Market of Single-Use Plastic Products (Amendment No 2) Regulations, 2021; and
- Beverage Containers Recycling (Amendment) Regulations, 2021.
An overview of the proposed legal instruments is provided in the Documents section.
- Consultation
In line with Article 55 of the Environment Protection Act (Cap. 549), the public is invited to make submissions to ERA with their comments as to why and how these draft regulations could be amended.
- Documents
Overview of the proposed legal instruments
Single-Use Plastic Framework Regulations, 2021
Regolamenti tal-2021 dwar Qafas dwar Prodotti tal-Plastik li Jintużaw Darba Biss
Beverage Containers Recycling (Amendment) Regulations, 2021
Regolamenti tal-2021 li jemendaw if-Regolamenti dwar ir-Riċiklaġġ ta’ Kontenituri tax-Xorb
Stakeholder Consultation Meeting Presentation
Stakeholder Consultation Meeting Video
Public Consultation Meeting Video
Public Submissions and Responses
- Submission of feedback & Consultation Sessions
Comments will be received by email on [email protected] by 9 February 2022.
- Further notes
Please be informed that comments submitted, together with the identity of the contributor, may be published online at the end of the public consultation, unless the contributor objects to the publication of his/her personal data. In this case, the contribution may be published in anonymous form.
All comments submitted shall be duly considered.
