A letter by Janet Wotjkow prompted me to write about litter bins. I don’t live here, although I have a Maltese name, my father being from Marsaxlokk.

Waste is a worldwide problem, much of which, plastic, needs to be tackled very urgently. Providing litter bins is one step forward but, first, bins need emptying and, second, people need to use them. The latter requires long-term education. For instance, only the other day, a young man wound down his car window, threw out an empty packet of crisps and sped off.

In Spain, where we live (Basque country), there are large recycle bins about every 300 metres for paper, bottles, plastic and metal, kitchen waste for composting and general waste for everything else.

Malta is scourged with rubbish everywhere. I’m sure the government is trying its best but a lot more needs to be done.