In July 2020, I started this initiative of collecting waste from the valleys and rural areas surrounding the village I live in, Haz-Zebbug. I started this because every morning whenever I went out jogging or walking, I was noticing a large quantity of waste left by the sides of the paths and secondary roads.

People passed by, yet it seemed that no one took any notice of it. It seems people couldn’t care less of this waste. This shows a national issue we face here in Malta. It seems that people are only interested about how tidy their homes are, and do not take any notice if the environment around us is not clean at all.

I thus started this campaign which has been going since then. Every Friday morning, either on my own or with some friends, I do a clean up around this village. Every week we target different areas, though I honestly admit that I prefer cleaning the valleys rather than the rural roads since I am an avid nature and trekking lover.

This campaign has now has been going on for 70 weeks. There has been some improvement in some areas, yet people still keep throwing all sorts of waste outside rather than disposing of it adequately. It’s sad that although so many free services how to dispose waste adequately exist, certain people still keep throwing their waste in the countryside away from people.

Certain people forget that the valleys, the countryside and the environment around us are also ours. It was given to us to for free and it’s our duty and obligation to pass it on to others in the best way possible.

In Malta, many complain that we are over populated, that there are not enough green spaces and countryside for our leisure. It might be true, yet this should make us appreciate more the little countryside that we have. It’s everyone’s duty to keep it clean. I feel lucky that in such a small country we can have so much beauty around us. This is the reason why I name these cleanups this way – Giving Back Fridays. We all receive a lot from nature. Let’s give something back ourselves.

What I am doing might be just a drop in the ocean, yet it is raising awareness amongst the local community. Hopefully it will keep spreading further in other villages and as a whole country. Let us all be proud of our environment and of our nation….let us all give something back!!!