More than 20 million cans and bottles have been recycled in Malta following the introduction of a beverage container refund scheme.

The scheme was launched on November 14 with a deposit of €0.10c will apply as a separate charge to the price of the beverages included in the scheme. 

The deposit is charged by producers and importers to retailers and catering establishments at wholesale stage and transferred to BCRS Malta, the operator of the scheme.

Retailers subsequently request this deposit from the consumer. Consumers can then get the full refund of their deposits by returning the empty beverage container to one of the 320 BCRS Reverse Vending Machines installed across supermarkets and major beverage retail outlets, and within Public Recycling Hubs around Malta and Gozo. 

A full refund of the deposit shall be returned to consumers by means of a voucher issued by the Reverse Vending Machines to be deducted against the bill at retail shops where beverages are sold. Consumers can also opt to donate the refunded 10c to charity directly from the RVMs.

The Times of Malta report that 20 million cans and bottles have already been collected in the first two months, the target it had for its first two years of operation.