Employees of the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure recently organised a clean-up campaign in Comino.

The waste collected included two abandoned cars, a truck, used mattresses, furniture, old water heaters and 200 bags of waste glass.

Eleven trucks, including two high-up trucks, were driven to Comino to transport the cleared waste which had been dumped on the island over the past 20 years.

Resources and Infrastructure Minister Francis Zammit Dimech and Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono visited Comino last Friday to attend the final part of the cleaning operation and the loading of the waste and metal scrap on one of the Gozo Channel vessels.

Dr Zammit Dimech said that an estimated 500 kg of waste is generated daily in Comino during the summer. Of this waste, 250 kg is biodegradable. The rest is in large part packaging waste including glass, cans and plastic.

He said that the Friends of the Earth are encouraging farmers on Comino to introduce organic farming. He stressed that holiday makers visiting Comino by private boats ought to refrain from dumping their waste on the island, but should pick it up and deposit it in Malta or Gozo. The Minister said that in the future, when introducing the bring-in sites, the Ministry intends to erect signage with this message.

Minister Debono urged those who visit Comino and those who work there to be sensitive to the beauty of the island which she described as "the jewel of the Maltese Islands."

She said: "If all do their utmost to discard their waste properly such operations would not be necessary. The residents of Comino, although very few, are very lucky because they live on an island without the noise caused by progress."

She thanked one resident, Salvu Vella, who made the clean-up campaign possible.

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