St Paul's Bay plastic bottles scheme 'full of irregularities' - government

An agreement between the St Paul’s Bay council and a private company for an innovative recycling scheme was full of irregularities, the government said today.

Automated machines that recycle plastic bottles have been installed across St Paul's Bay. Residents are being encouraged to use them instead of throwing away their plastic bottles in normal rubbish containers.

While crushing the bottles, the machine automatically separates out any remaining liquid. The initiative includes incentives for residents, who will be receiving a voucher to be redeemed at shops in the locality for every bottle they dispose of in the machine.

The council launched the scheme in defiance of government orders to end it.

In a statement this evening, government said the agreement the council reached was not in line with the law.

A council, it said, was an extension of the government and could not act in an individual manner in breach of regulations and not in line with national policy.

The council, the government said, had ignored public procurement regulations and went into an agreement with a private company which did not have the necessary permits to operate in line with existing schemes.

In view of...