I refer to the item Help Needed To Keep Malta Clean which I came across while reading this informative paper. I believe solutions should be included in articles, not just comments, and therefore I offer the following suggestions to the government towards the elimination of excess trash/garbage that flows from the streets of Malta into the Mediterranean Sea:

1. Provide a monetary incentive to children and adults alike for every submission of a bag (size and orientation generated by certain specifications, such as recycled rice/plastic bags), containing bottles, glass, cardboard, etc., to a general recycling or reclaim centre. This would cut down on manpower for collection and eliminate the disgusting sight which mars Malta’s towns in more than just one way.

2. Require businesses and residents to clear/clean their gutters, sidewalks outside the businesses and homes with the same incentive offered above.

3. This solution/recommendation also provides the children with an additional method of earning extra spending money while making them aware, both in schools and home, of the importance of their environment.

3. Post fines for littering in the streets at bus stops, etc. Stricter laws are needed for those who violate environmental regulations.

4. Allow extra trash bags at current sites (garbage cans) and offer residents the same incentive as in 1 above if they bring the trash bags to the reclamation centre.

5. Organise a slogan contest on the theme of a cleaner Malta with publication and announcement in the paper of the owner/winner of the contest, as an additional incentive, with publicity also given in schools and public places.

6. A clean marina effort can also be very important, with pump-out facilities (which would also create a new source of employment in Malta) as well as bringing attention to the responsibility for civic duty and pride in the island.

7. I suggest trash bin collectors not only pick up what’s in the bins but what is overflowing from those bins that would have gotten into the bin if there was room. The result of this suggested programme would be less pollution in historic Malta harbours and in the Mediterreaean where so much of this debris ends up.

Perhaps as a relatively long-time visitor, I will not be taken seriously and I do not wish to insult this beautiful island but believe these ideas can be a beginning to a brighter, cleaner environment for residents and visitors and perhaps lead to tourists leaving Malta with a better appreciation of its history and culture and the impression of a loving people who truly care about the image they project in all aspects of their country.

Hopefully these ideas/suggestions will initiate some interest in this subject for a more harmonious coexistence with the environment. I have enjoyed my visit here with the sights in Malta and Gozo. The food is superb, the desserts are fantastic and the people so friendly.