What is my favourite pastime after a hot summer's day in the quaint village of Qala? A relaxing evening stroll to the cart ruts offering a gorgeous view of Comino and Malta. What is the most unexpected encounter I had yesterday? That with two burning skips laden with all kinds of things that once set ablaze start emitting all sorts of highly toxic fumes, hundreds of plastic bags and bottles that should be dropped at a bring-in-site, car batteries, refrigerators, buckets full of paints and lacquers, car tyres, polystyrene, mattresses etc.

I wonder whether all the perpetrators who commit those deplorable eco-crimes know that there is a perfect collection service offered by the Public Cleansing Department best contacted via the local councils?

Anyway, this is not the first time that I came across a burning skip full of chemical time bombs and the question I keep asking is the following: Where can a mental training programme be started that teaches people not to stop short of "being clean" beyond their own doorstep; I must admit that I have never seen such impeccably antiseptic interiors as in Malta and Gozo, yet, how come that people's mentality tends to switch by 180 degrees once they have closed their doors?

Unfortunately, I have only a dim hope that the ongoing public debate will bring about a fundamental change in people's attitude; the only thing I know for sure is that there is a long way ahead of us if we don't start to match our words with deeds. Otherwise the well-publicised target of an eco-island Gozo will remain a sad case of wishful thinking.