Various environmental campaigns seem to be falling on deaf ears as the Cleansing Services Directorate can attest. Stephanie Fsadni digs into the tons of waste that are removed from beaches to find anything from cigarette butts to syringes to dead animals.

When one goes to the beach, one expects to find litter-free areas where to lay their towel. But what one is likely to take for granted is the result of the hard work of the Cleansing Services Directorate within the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, which last year removed 700 tons of waste during beach- cleaning operations.

The directorate is made up of some 500 employees, who serve different departments, 45 of whom are deployed in the beach cleaning unit.

Litter is mainly picked manually and all year round, not only in summer.

During winter time, that is from October until the end of March, beaches are cleaned once a day.

“The litter in winter is not alarming but it has to be done, mostly due to currents which bring ashore marine coastal waste, especially litter from boats,” says director Ramon Deguara.

From March to mid-June, the unit is mainly involved in removing algae which would have washed up ashore during the cold months. The unit’s staff concentrates on sandy beaches in the north of Malta and in three particular spots in the south, which are most likely to be affected by water currents – Pretty Bay and St George’s Bay in Birżebbuġa, and St Thomas Bay in Marsascala.

This year, a total of 3,500 tons of algae was removed. Up to 75 per cent of this seaweed went to farmers, who use it as fertiliser.

The Cleansing Services Directorate is also responsible for beach infrastructure such as ladders and railings. Photos: Cleansing Services Directorate

Sometimes, dead animals, mostly thrown overboard from passing ships, reach the shore.

“These are hard to handle and it’s surely not a pleasant job for our workers,” says Deguara.

In summer, the cleaning frequency increases to seven days a week and the deparment’s workers do various inspections throughout the day in the most popular beaches: early in the morning before beachgoers start arriving and then at around 11am, 2pm and 5pm.

The unit also carries out sand sifting, whereby special machinery goes down four inches below the surface to collect all types of waste. This is done until the end of September to mid-October, depending on the weather.

The CSD has lately invested in a metal detector because of syringes that have been ­­reported in sandy beaches and vacuum blower machines for the collection of cigarette butts and small litter deposited in pot holes on rocky beaches. It also invested in a dinghy to collect flotsom waste (marine debris), mainly plastic bottles, pieces of wood, jerrycans and other waste, that reaches the shore and makes the beach unsuitable for swimming.

The litter in winter is not alarming but it has to be done, mostly due to currents which bring ashore marine coastal waste, especially litter from boats

CSD is not responsible for the cleaning of oil spills, which falls under the remit of the Civil Protection Department. However, it assists in the transportation of such waste.

Besides cleaning, CSD is also responsible for beach infrastructure, that is ladders, railings, carpets or platforms (to level out rocks), pontoons and litter bins.

“This year, we have added ladders in 35 new spots to the existing 240 ones and railings in 15 new locations. Ladders are nowadays made of galvanised material and it is the first time that the southern coast has been fitted with ladders of this kind,” points out Deguara.

700 tons of waste were removed during beach-cleaning operations last year.

Most furniture is collected after the summer season because underwater currents can damage it and taken to workshops for maintenance. Some ladders are however kept on special request, for example, for diving purposes.

A total of 1,200 litter bins have been placed along the coasts of Malta and Gozo. There are two types of bins: green for mixed waste and black containers for recyclable waste. New signage has been added this year, to make it clearer where people are to dispose of their waste.

One will also find other more colourful bins for waste separation at Blue Flag and managed beaches.

Four hundred charcoal bins have also been placed in areas where barbecues are permitted.

“It is very important that people dispose of their charcoal properly, because it can melt normal bins... Last year, 75 litter bins had to be replaced, incurring an extra cost of €14,000,” says Deguara.

Such neglect only means more hard work and costs. In view of this, the department last year launched an educational campaign with the tag line Għalfejn tħammeġ pajjiżek (why dirty your country). It is headed by two mascots named Garby and Tidy. A Facebook page was set up, and educational TV spots are being shown.

Green bins are for mixed waste while black bins are for recyclable waste.

A mobile app for Android and iOS operating systems has just been launched, through which users can easily report illegal dumping and litter in general. It can be downloaded for free from Google Play Store and Apple Store.

“It is a user-friendly app, through which one can also post photos. We will remove all the waste, giving priority to the most urgent cases first,” promises Deguara.

For more information, visit the Garby and Tidy Facebook page.