3,000 volunteers make clean sweep of 60 sites

About 3,000 volunteers banded together for a massive clean-up of 60 sites around the islands last weekend, removing no less than 91 tonnes of waste between them.

The initiative took in the sea-beds of Wied iż-Żurrieq and Ħondoq ir-Rummien, six beaches including Golden Sands, Riviera and Armier, as well as a number of historical places, promenades and public gardens.

The three-day tidy-up was organised by the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs and involved 40 local councils, 29 schools and 26 companies that provided manpower, financing or use of their equipment. A number of voluntary organisations including scouts, girl guides and football nurseries also took part.

In Valletta, girl guides took it a step further, handing out flowers with notes attached stating: "We need your help too, please do not litter" to whoever they saw littering. It was telling that 400 of these flowers were distributed in just 90 minutes.

In most cases the local councils selected problem areas to be tackled, in an attempt to educate members of the public about the amount of waste generated in such places.

A large number of Works Division employees and administrative staff helped out in the clean-up and, for the dangerous tasks, the Armed Forces of Malta, the Civil Protection Department and the abseilers of the ministry's Restoration Unit were roped in.

"While it is more than obvious that we could not solve Malta's environmental problems in just three days, we truly believe we have managed to raise awareness with regards to keeping our local environment clean. The various activities also produced some very noticeable results," a spokesman for the ministry said.