Volunteers picked up 600 kilograms of trash, 190 kg of general waste, 266 kgs of metal and glass, 58 kg of plastic and 86 kgs of trash from the Armier sand dunes, seabed and surrounding area today.
The Earth Day clean up was led by US ambassador Kathleen Hill. Mellieha major John Buttigieg and HSBC officials also took part joining volunteers for the US embassy, Nature Trust, the Mellieha council, Malta National Aquarium, Maltaqua Dive School, Sharklab, Orangeshark H2o Diving Centers and HSBC.
In a statement, the US Embassy said that coastal trash was a serious pollution problem that affected people’s health, wildlife and local economies.
Ocean issues were a high priority on the US foreign policy agenda, it added. The United States and many international partners were committed to promoting sustainable fishing and to combating marine pollution and ocean acidification.
Nature Trust’s Anthony Grupetta described the land and marine environment, highlighting the impact of debris on ecologically sensitive areas such as Armier Bay.