In just under three hours a group of cubs and other volunteers filled a skip to ther brim and over during a clean up at St Thomas’ Bay. On Saturday morning when most people are having a well deserved lie in bed, the Tarxien Cubs and members of the Friends of Marsaskala Society, got up early and joined Nature Trust in the Legambiente – Clean up the Med initiative which is carried out around the Mediterranean Sea. The location chosen was the coast along St. Thomas’ Bay and the volunteers received a talk about the ecological importance of the area.

The initiative to clean up the beaches has become an important task especially during the summer months. Malta’s beaches are frequented by thousands of people each summer, the result being waste which is not disposed of properly.

The children and other volunteers decided to carry out the clean up prior to summer as most of Malta’s coast would have already gathered waste dumped throughout the year and washed up by the sea. The importance of a clean sandy beach is to ensure the safety of humans as well as the creatures that inhabit or visit it.

Marine turtles are known to nest on Maltese beaches and Nature Trust is ensuring that beaches are kept clean during the nesting season. ‘The reason we carry out cleanups on coastal areas is not only cosmetic but from a conservation side to ensure the safety of the creatures who share the beaches with us. If the waste is not removed it will eventually find itself in the sea causing harm to marine turtles, dolphins and sea birds,’ said Nature Trust.

The NGO also stated that they receive many marine turtles injured from swallowing plastic and entangling in nylon. The NGO added, “Cleaning the beaches manually is a method we are aiming for and we are starting this by the help of our volunteers, the reason being that by not using heavy machinery, we are safeguarding any possible nests.

“However the main aim of last Saturday’s activity was to make the cubs aware that even though they are still young, their efforts in helping to have a cleaner environment are much appreciated and most valued. Their enthusiasm could be felt through the work they carried out tirelessly and happily. Besides plastic gloves, some of the cubs brought well worn socks to help protect their hands and arms better. Making good use of these socks before discarding them helped the cubs to understand better the meaning of reuse.”

The Friends of Marsaskala who have worked hard to make Marsaskala a better place to live, believe that by doing a clean up one is also raising awareness and sending out a positive message to locals and visitors to dispose of their waste in the right manner. “I cannot understand why there is so much dumped waste in Malta, when the facilities and services of waste collection are so frequent and reliable,” said a spokesperson for Friends of Marsaskala. Another volunteer adding that with a little bit of effort and team work, one can make a place look wonderful.

The volunteers wish to thank Marsaskala Local Council for its ongoing support. Nature Trust (Malta) organises regular cleanups wihile raising awareness on the ecology of the area.

Those interested in organising a clean up can contact Nature Trust on info@naturetrustmalta.org or call 21313150. Ghaqda San Tumas commended the volunteers on their hard work and wish to invite the public for the Show of Arms experience at Rihama Battery on the 26th May at 3.00pm.

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