It was business as usual in Republic Street – until someone stopped to pick up litter and deposit it in a trash can, triggering a waiting flash mob which danced to a pulsating beat to the delight of passers-by.

The flash mob, organised by Let’s Do it Malta in collaboration with Southville Dancers, heralded an international clean-up which will take place in over 20 Mediterranean countries this weekend.

Malta, as part of the Mediterranean, has joined this international effort to collect as much floating and deposited garbage as possible.

The Mediterranean Sea is a fragile ecosystem that is under immense pressure from the human population – notably the greatest sources of marine litter are the dumpsites near beaches, tourism and fishing industry activities.

Let’s Do It! Malta aims to recruit 10,000 people for a massive land and sea clean-up which will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

The clean-up will be taking place in various sites across Malta, Gozo and Comino. This year’s aim is to target six spots in Malta, one spot in Comino, and two in Gozo and a further eight spots underwater.