Mizieb, before and after the picnickers

we keep our homes clean but outside no!! SHAME!!! Basta naghmluha tan-nodfa... Hudu baskett maghkom pls..

What is needed is a few well publicized prosecutions. How about a warden when you need one? Instead of lying in wait for someone to park on a yellow line, how about one or two incognito wardens on Sundays. I am sure that after a few cars being confiscated, these vandals will think twice about leaving even a piece of paper let alone this kind of filth

I am touched when people start off by saying "Jien ma jien xejn imma sempliciment ...." Who said these people are "nothing" or that other people count more than they? Thanks to the Enlightenment we live in an era where people are, or should be, considered as equal. That some are more equal than others is only an echo of an implicit condemnation of the same outdated notion coined by George Orwell. I look forward to seeing more posts by Ms Muscat in a firmer, rightful, vein.

jien ma jien xejn imma sempliciment waitress!!imma al inqas il hmieg tieghi inzommu ghalija .il hadd li ghada kont xoghol go stabiliment il belt fuq barra ,meta fhin minnhom giet familja u l hbieb taha ok kollox mar tajjeb kielu u xorbu u kulhadd ha pjacir imma li innotajt hi li dawn kellhom tarbija li fxi hin kellha bzonn tibdel il bzonnijiet taha bidluwulha u hallewh taht il mejda...prosett!!ezempju al familji futuristi taghna.!!!!u dan konna il belt li dustbins issib kul 5 metres mela li kienu il mizieb xkienu jaghmlu??

This is where the work of all the hunters forming part of the FKNK Mellieha comes in sight and is truly appreciated. Very few people know that these people actually spend a lot of time cleaning up the area and putting right what the picnickers destroy. They build rubble walls in such an expert fashion that one remains dumbstruck when seeing them do their work. They also clean up the area, and then some people do not care enough to leave the place just like they found it. I urge the FKNK to keep up the good work that it has been doing over the past few years, and although I am not a hunter, it saddens my heart to see such good work go to waste jsut because somebody could not pick up his rubbish and take it home with him. Let us all lead by example and start picking our trash and taking it home with us when we go on a picnic. @DeMartino you have no idea how wrong you are. If these people are fined they will realise their wrongdoing and will not do it again. With people like you, I doubt that this will happen!!

what a disgrace! this is not much worst than the lead hunters spray on our fields. A heavy metal that is known to adversely affect a child's developing brain

@Giov De Martino,
this is where you err (as usual) politicizing the matter. If it were not a tax, why would your government go through so much effort to set up speed cameras and out wardens checking the traffic instead of being more balanced and send them to places like Mizieb?
Simple, because it is easier and more lucrative to collect fines out of the poor drivers. It also shows the disinterest GonziPN has for the Maltese environment.
Please stop politicizing the matter. Grow up.

Where are the wardens? or do they concentrate more on fining poor drivers since this is a far more lucrative job? I think the government should impose heavy fines and give the wardens free way to punish these disgraceful people without mercy.
They should litter inside their homes not outside.

for once the hunters and trappers are right....am ashamed to be called a maltese

As an Australian Maltese it shames me to see such a mess. When we visit Malta we always comment that there are not enough (if any) rubbish bins in public places. It never ceases to amaze me that Maltese people have such pride in their homes yet throw rubbish outside. When I was a child living in Malta I remember people washing their homes and throwing dirty water out and rubbish, but thought that was because it was in the fifties. Some things never change it seems. Such a beautiful place like Malta should be looked after by the Maltese people.

If these people are cought and fined, many will say that that is another Gonzipn TAX!

WHAT A SHAME!!!!! L' Aqwa li nzommu id-dar nadifa hux? min bieb il-barra mhux taghna!! This is such a disgrace and the reason why Malta never looks clean enough. High penalties should be given to those who litter in my opinion, like they do in other countries. A little bit of pride in our country please. You never know next time it might be you who will go there and find all that rubbish. This same story happens in summer at pretty bay.

The problem is that most Maltese are not proud of being Maltese and of their island ! Birkirkara is a case in point, its a "misbla" ! The people dump rubbish everywhere and the Local Council colludes in the mess making by not providing bins or wardens to check on littering...................

what a shame! the authors are savage creatures. we are tired of them! we've had enough of these selfish people who just ruin,use and abuse everywhere they go..

There is a solution to most everything these days.
As with the owners of dogs, who should carry a bag for the dogs droppings when they are walking them, so should these people having BBQ's.
It should be law that an appropriate bag is in use when people are having a a BBQ, I for one always carry a couple of those eco friendly bags that we use for the dust bin and it does the trick, when we are finished we take the bag with us and dump it in the nearest skip or trash can. It would be also a good idea to deposit more skips in places that are popular for BBQs.

I agree - DISGUSTING. I was on a picnic there on the 31st March and go there a couple times a year for a picnic. We make sure we pick every little thing up before we leave and a few other garbage left by other people!!! However, I have witnessed this mess myself everytime I went!! What about park wardens?? It is not much to put a few wardens in picnic spots.

Aren't there green wardens anymore? or are they too busy roaming the roads to give tickets to stationary cars? Way to go dear wardens!!

I might add as i was myself at Mizieb last Sunday (not picnicing!!) that there were also a bunch of youngsters shooting air guns whilst people and kids where passing by. In civilized countries you would have law enforcers (not ticket pushers) roaming such places on weekends and holidays.

While we are on the subject... I cant let this go by without mentioning the disgusting 'tip in the making' right beside Luqa Primary School. From furniture to broken appliances to garbage just being dumped there. I pass it every morning and afternoon to take my kids to and back from school and on walks in the evening i have seen rats the size of cats going through the rubbish. This is a disgrace, and truely unhygenic. Especially knowing it is right by a primary school full of children each day. I wonder what the EU would have to say about this!

It doesn't have to be the Mizieb to see this scenario! I live in St. Julian's, exactly in Birkirkara road, which is quite a main road. My house is in the corner and for some reason people tend to think it's a dumping site. It's not the first time I walk out of my door and find garbage thrown next to my front door! We have skips like 20 meters away. Some people are simply unbelievable. I don't take my garbage out but walk to the skip or else leave it in my yard and when I have time just drop it! When I called the local council they told me to pick up stickers to affix to my walls, which I did but they seem useless. Last week i had a box of glass bottles throw just right next to my door step which I couldn't even move cause they where too heavy! Can someone tell me what we can do about all this! Where are the green wardens gone??? Instead of fixing speed cameras they should fix cameras in these areas and fine people who dump illegally!

I am horse riding enthusiast and I also often go camping in the scarce remaining country side spots. Whenever I am riding through the serene country side admiring the surrounding, this serenity is suddenly ceased when i come across a black garbage bag with all its contents sprawled after being attacked by cats and dogs.

Us Maltese think, that as long as I cant see that mess in my house, then it is ok. IT IS NOT. And this is not only the case with the few remaining picnic sights, but also in the main streets- if you are eating a chocolate bar, when you are done, throw the wrapper in a bin NOT ON THE FLOOR, or out the car window.

It is a nonchalance attitude that seems to be reigning in the Maltese, and not just with littering but with traffic rules, common etiquette and respect for person's and animals other than oneself! I do wish this changes but as time goes by I see it aggravating even more as we continuously seem to aspire to spoil such spots like mizieb.

Whenever humans invade, there is ruin!

S Aquilina.... its not in the DNA cause they know how to keep their houses clean... Its just plain ignorance!

S Aquilina, you wrote:
"We have this habit in our DNA....." Excuse me, by what do you mean by "We"? I myself, together with my two young children, would never even throw a used bus ticket on the ground. So please do not generalise. There's nothing wrong with our DNA, its just plain selfishness, laziness or the product of a sick mind. Call it what you will!

How about police officers in casual clothes patroling on foot these pincic areas and giving a nice hefty fine to those that leave rubbish lying around after there picnic?
As they say.. The only way Maltese will listen is if u touch their pockets! ;)

I always say 'Malta lacks picnic areas' and 'places to BBQ'. After being brought up in Australia and enjoyed many BBQ's and picnics in the beautiful outdoors of Aus, I have never seen anything disgusting like this. You should be ashamed of yourselves. In all honesty....... You people dont deserve picnic reserves! Ever thought about taking a garbage bag along with you when going for a picnic??????????
Its times like this i thank God i was born and bred in Aus!

why is it when someone complains about, the mess around our island someone else has to
try and turn the whole scene around, justiffing what is true and what is not. we dont need photos to poove a point? just walk down the sliema/ gzira sea front after a saterday or sunday evening and open your eyes. its a shambles. plastic bottles undar benches. waste from take aways ect.

This picture just shows a very small fraction of what many of the Maltese picnickers do.

Countryside and beach wardens should be employed to fine people who do these vile acts. However, the authorities should go round Malta and provide enough bins in public places and even in the country side and on beaches as a first step. 2nd step employ environment wardens who go round make sure no littering and damages are done and give fines to all those who do these things.

One should walk along Ta Qali's ring road on a Monday early morning !
Absolute filth and a disgrace.

Eeeew. I don't know if its just because my mum brought me up different, but me and my friends end up picking up after others. The same sort of scene occurs after BBQs at Ghadira; I remember we used to take black plastic bags and pick up the muck left by the BBQs that surrounded us. The 'let someone else do it' attitude in this country disgusts me, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

The one thing missing in this country is not ample rubbish bins or green wardens. It's discipline.

Uneducated people may not even realise that leaving their picnic leftover garbage bag in the countryside will not be picked up by anyone except for stray dogs and rodents. They would learn how to behave themselves civily, only when they are taught the lesson.
Enforcement is what lacks in this blessed Country. A ranger corps, made up of knowledgable personnel who have the environment and education of citizens, ingrained in their minds, could work wonders. They could be employed by the Government or outsourced to NGOs. If our parks and forest areas are run on a non-profit, nominal fee basis, this could pay for itself.
Many would not mind paying a €1.00/person to be able to hold a BBQ in marked safe places with ready ammenities like benches and BBQs. The are supervised by the Ranger would be safer for all and deffinitely kept cleaner. Children and adults can be lectured by the Rangers on site abot the fauna and flora.
Visiting http://www.nps.gov/personnel/rangers.htm , would give anyone an idea of what is done in the US. With much less we can make these couple of square miles we live on a true civilised haven.
We needn't re-invent the wheel.

there needs to be surveillance cameras, and to make a picnic one must get a permit from the local council (same as per current procedure for barbecues); increase fines - many people abuse because either laws are not enforced or because fines are too low. It only takes one case of getting wrongdoers a hefty fine and the media will do the rest. Bis-sewwa jew bid-dnewwa ahna l-Maltin irridu nitghallmu...nghidu ghal-barranin u naghmlu aghar minnhom!!

Absolute pigs!!!!!

Go and see the rubbish in many playground what FILTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disgusting, selfish nation!!! People like this deserve a sty!

I sincerely hope that the goverment authorities DO NOT send anyone to clean the mess! And that next Sunday those who will go will find the mess and leave a bigger mess behind them. We have this habit in our DNA and no one will ever take it from us. And it is not the disrespect for the environment that we have in our DNA - it is the disrepect we have to those around us.

Here is a tenet we should all live by and maybe this island where we live will be a better place, 'When visiting the countryside one should leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but memories.'

The hunters federation is to be congratulate for keeping mizieb spotless now if they were to stop shooting birds using shotguns and start shooting them with a camera they would be perfect environmentalists. And I'm saying this in all seriousness.

Funny how hunting and trapping are so vilified, as if they are the only thing that matters regarding the environment. If this is the reality of "reclaiming your countryside" it speaks volumes! A disgusting and all too frequent occurrence, silently filling up the few open spaces with filth and garbage.

Let's be honest, how many of our parents taught us how to throw rubbish onto the streets? only becoming conscious later on through advertising and education campaign.

Why doubt the FKNK on this item? Why then we believe Birdlife as if coming from the gospel?
Let's be fair for once.

Unbelievably true! Not only there, but at Selmun and especially on the side of the old fort too. People leave plastic bags full of rubbish or throw them on the side of the road whilst driving out. Shame on us .

Yes members from FKNK do ‘manage’ Mizieb and Ahrax in Mellieha; for about two months every year on the Sundays, for the past 24 years.
Yes we collect all sorts of rubbish to pack various skips, build rubble walls and maintain a renowned girna, prune and plant trees among other odd jobs.
Yes we bought our own tools including power tools and fork out all maintenance expenses to keep them running!
Yes invitations are always forwarded to members of parliament and the media to come along to visit the work!
No invitations are ever accepted by the media or parliamentarians except preceding an election of sorts!
No we never charged 8 Malta Lira to plant any single tree let alone 16000!
No we do not reserve these places just for hunting, unlike all the BirdLife reserves.
No sorry we are not the wardens to such places!
No sorry again we do not do the rubbish collecting rounds after the weekend!
YES WE DO ALL THE ABOVE AND MORE VOLONTARILY!!!

I was at Miziep two weeks ago and was also disgusted with the mess left by the persons who frequent the place. There are numerous signs reminding people not to litter. Some of us are really unredeemable!

This is nothing new. I took photographs similar to this on the rocks at Ramla- tal- Qortin, last October, after week-end picnickers had left. Unfortunately this is the sort of thing that tourists see when they venture outside the boundaries of their hotels or resorts. A new generation needs to be educated in the need to to keep these islands clean for the benefit of all. School is the place for that, as it would seem that many parents are incapable of doing it themselves.

Unfortunately this is a situation common throughout the island. The reality is that the majority of the people who visit the country site ( hunters and not) a for lack of a better word , uncivilized. Together with other people have been involved in clean ups of beaches and other areas. But the important question is : After taking this photo did any one actually bother to clean that rubbish up? I have a ton of similar photos , from various locations . But i also have photos of the sites after volunteers cleaned up the mess left by others. If the FKNK would really want to impress they should come along for a clean up. Then they can start pointing fingers.

it looks more like a scene where one has just turned a bin.. and let the rubbish fall over! Do picnickers take their garbage(borza sewda) with them to the country side, and dump it there!!

I live in Xemxija and take frequent walks in beautiful Mizieb. Maybe FKNK can come for a walk with me and run the risk of getting Cancer of the cartrige as the place is littered with spent cartridges. So maybe charity should begin at home...! However FKNK is not wrong in bring to people's attention the mess left by picnicers in Mizieb, and should be commended for it. However, this is not just a Mizieb issue. The Maltese I DON'T CARE attitude is, unfortunately, extremely widespread. Just go to Ghadira any day of the week in summer and see the mess on a morning following all those illegal bar-b-q's at night. broken bottles, bones, wrappers etc. And this is found all over the islands. Especially where contracts are given to kiosks without obliging them to clean up their area, or at least enforcing some cleanliness. As for the Maltese people being dirty picnicers.....Things might be improving but at this pace it's going to take us forever. We have no pride in our beautiful country. SHAME!

Stop being funny, Mr / Ms L Mercieca! Are you condoning such irresponsible acts? One would expect you to patrol picnic areas and report individuals who litter such areas, to the police!! Does this ring a bell, Sir / Madam?!!

Not my rubbish; I've still got a couple of pre-tax carrier bags to put my rubbish in to take home with me.
Blame it on the tourists, no one with any respect for the Island would leave such a mess - would they ?

Where are the Enviroment Wardens?????????????????????????
Disgrace

Whatever the hunters' message behind this article it is very true that the Maltese picnicers leaving that mess behind should be totally ashamed of themselves. This is illegal. The countryside is everybody's to enjoy nature.

I suggest to the hunters to report the illegalities to police like CABS do with video evidence of perpetrators in the act, so as not to have anyone saying that the mess was artificially created by emptying their fridges or else that the mess is not rubbish as it is a colourful work of art or even that it is a doctored image.

Shame on the perpetrators!

Shame on all those that leave any rubbish behind them after enjoying a few hours in our countryside. Will the Maltese ever learn.......I doubt it, unless we have a system were such perpetrators are caught and made to pay a hefty fine.

@C Finch

FKNK members who practice hunting at Mizieb MUST participate in clean ups and pruning, weeding exercises ona regular basis and their participation recorded. This has been the case for the past 2 decades. Unfortunately these activities never seem to attract the same media coverage. As to the "WHY" I leave that to your immagination!

@lmercieca

I assure you that its the same location.
With regards to your other empty comments, one simple redress

FKNK repeatedly took a stand and condemned each and every irresponsible act or acts of vandalism irrespective of the location or possible intended recipients. Grow up and do likewise! If you really love the environment ; This is to be condemned PERIOD!

Since hunting was temporary banned the trash in the countryside increased dramatically, not only in public spaces but also in private places, this shows the irony of respect by those who pretend they have the countryside at their heart.

@Joseph Micallef, The hunters are trying to say nothing except to educate the few, of course we do not generalise, but we have to pass the message, that most Maltese are really civilized.

@I Mercieca; Of course not, that their is no evidence, i:e nobody reports the others, their are no CABS watching you, there are no CCTVs around. What amaze me is that everyone sees dead birds everywhere and nobody sees these mini maghtabs. If you really looking for evidence go to Buskett and Ta Qali and see by yourself, and perhaps you can ask HSBC employees to clean up the mess. You want to have more evidence? visit the place after the next outdoor concert and ask the promoters why they don't supply trash bins

The picture above shows such ignorance in our population from people that love to be in the countryside for a picnic, but then leave garbage behind them expecting someone else to take care of the mess they left behind. Where are the green wardens? When are we going to see some people booked for leaving garbage after they leave picnic sites? Are we going to have the same summer on our beaches as the previous years when at the end of the day beaches are left filthy and full of recyclable garbage?

I love to see this 'Us and them' attitude from the hunters. While thanking them for showing us what harm is done by such irresponsible people, I must comment on the fact that I went on a picnic last week in Wardija and it was the first time in my life in Malta that I actually saw different types of birds in our vicinity while we were picnicking!!! This was surreal! I saw birds that I have never even known existed. Keep the hunting ban alive. The birds are for our enjoyment in a living state not like the hunters want them - DEAD.

Fair enough

let's have CABS watch the hunters, and
FKNK watch the picnicers

and birds glide in the winds of change!

At least this litter can be picked up after the idiots have left.

What should be said about BBQs in Busket?

@ I mercieca... it does not matter which part of mizieb it is. What matters is that the FKNK have an agreement with the government to clean the place but the picknikers (not only who go there) give a toss about what they leave behind. This even happens with tresspassers on private land.

its not just mizieb... anywhere the Maltese go... kennedy grove, wardija, mellieha, gnejna... you name it. were are the green wardens?

Why are you in such a panic?

I get these scenes outside my front door, day in day out, all the year round. It has been like this for the last five years. Come and have a look at the entrance to the little garden in Triq il Frejgatina in Qawra.

I have lost count, to the many times that I complained to the local council. Where are the wardens. They do not have to hide around here. They will earn their commission in no time. This is rubbish put outside, or as some do, throw it from the third floor to save them coming down, by the same residents and shopkeepers living and working here.

I was told, int mil- bieb il gewwa jimpurtak. In other words, shut up.

lmercieca
Why should bins be provided?
Why should not picnickers take back their rubbish with them and dispose of it in their own rubbish?
What would they say if someone dumped his/her rubbish in their own property?

And where, pray, were the "Green Wardens"? Wating by some full skip somewhere perchance?

Enjoy the country-side,free from hunters and falling shot pellets but you can leave all your rubbish behind,oh well rats have to eat too. It`s disgusting how some people don`t care ,you come to Gozo same thing,after the week-end,rubbish thrown on the road-sides,at Dwejra,everywhere,so that`s why many people want hunting banned so that they can do what ever they want in other`s people property.

Looks like the only solution for these poor minded people is to hit their pockets when they do such offences...otherwise people with low civic sense will never be eradicated from the face of this Island...a real pity indeed

Mr Finch,
The Fknk organise more than one such event.
At my home town in Mellieha ,hunters give 9 Sundays (7-10.30am)a year,to be entitled for membership.
The work consists of building and mantaining rubble walls, planting and pruning of trees, but most time is spent cleaning the incredible mess people leave behind. Not just picnic mess and broken bottles but skiploads of washing mahines,fridges,building rubble,scrapped cars ,the list is endless and considering the facilities available today,disgusting.

As I am always among those criticising hunters and trappers, so, here, I must add my voice with those who rightly criticise these picnickers. This is where wardens should come in!

Seems to have been collected and placed there for the picture...it was better if they had taken a picture of the culprits rather than of th rubbish.

It's a shame to leave a mess after picnics, but quite honestly what are the hunters trying to prove here? I think that it's much worse to kill birds than to leave rubbish because this can be removed and the area cleaned but dead birds are just that - dead birds.

I am not convinced. One may say that the picnickers cleaned the place and the hunters messed it up. Whom can I believe if no one was caught?

Disgusting sight !

I thought that these people were educated to take the rubbish home with them,
How wrong I was!

I do think that it is about time that the fines for the culprits should be raised to €1000 to get the message homem as otherwise some will ever learn

For some people wardens are a must.It's a shame.They should take a garbage bag with them and leave the sight clean as it was.
Soon they go to the beach and do the same unless wardens are present and book these people .I beg the Authorities to take action if we love our Island.

The before and after pictures don't look exactly the same area to me.
Is there evidence that this was done by picnic goers?
Was anyone reported or apprehended?
Could this have been done by some stray dogs that spilled the rubbish?
Does Fknk provide adequate number of bins in the area?

Just like when pictures of mutilated birds are be said to come out of a freezer or hit a wire, one needs to probe into these too ......

We will never change!...what a pity...

Amazing how we can be against hunting and then doing this to our countryside!! And that's not the only place... go visit Dwejra, Malta after the weekend!!!

What are the hunters trying to say here? Maybe that its better not to let people picniking at the Mizieb and instead leave it reserved for only hunters?

Something else to make us proud of being Maltese :) (Not)

When one sees images like this it beggars belief how some people leave after a day out and are too lazy to put a bag of rubbish in their car to take home and dispose of properly. Sheer ignorance and stupidity are the only possible excuses for this behaviour.
Good work FKNK for highlighting the lack of respect some people have for the countryside. Recently some divers organised a beach clean up at popular dive sites that gained good publicity. Maybe the FKNK could organise something similar and a 'respect the countryside' campaign.
Who knows it could be the start of a turn around in the image of the federation.

Shame to those who made this mess...why don't you be dirty at your home? and leave the countryside tidy !