For the EWWR week the Ghajnsielem Local Council is planning the following activities: –

21st November 2018 – Mosaic Day- Venue (Workshop – Team Mosaic) : Hands on activities by using recycled ceramics and tiles into mosaic art which will eventually be used in various places to embellish the locality. We placed dispensers near the Council’s office for the collection of broken and unwanted ceramics. We are having a very good response about this. We have also created a Team Mosaic who meets daily in a workshop. During the EWWR, the council is to hold a one day event with the collaboration of the Team Mosaic in order to urge further participation from the locals.
22nd November 2018 – Venue – Bethelehem f’Ghajnsielem – Recycling from wooden pallets
For the past 10 years, the Ghajnsielem Local Council has built the village of Bethlehem and is used as a nativity park during the Christmas season, which has by now became the main Christmas event both nationally and internationally. This village has been built up 75% from recycled material. More than 4500 used wooden pallets have been used. These were mainly donated to us by Magro Brothers and J Caruana Ltd. A great amount of wood, amounting to more than 6 toms, used from glass packaging has also been used. This has been given to us by Xuereb Glass Co Ltd and Gozo Aluminium. Other wood used amounting to approximaterly 2 tons, was that coming from mushroom packaging coming from Holland, given to us by Casa Funghi. We have also announced the need of used wood and pillars to be collected from individuals instead of throwing them away. We had a very good response on this as those refurbishing homes and farmhouses were able to dispose well of their unwanted material. The organisers also collected small pieces of unwanted wood from an industrial yard which was later used for the bakery and the fireplaces found at the inn. This material was also used to build all the furniture found in this project, example rooms, railings, beds, chairs, benches, windmill and all other wooden attractions. All in all, one can admit that all recycled material is well used at this project and used with intense thought. All this is evident when one visits this unique project.
Throughout the year we also collect logs and branches which are brought over by those who trim their trees so that than they will be used in order to embellish the area. For example the palm tree leaves are used when dry to cover the rooms’ roofs. We also collect old material and curtains so that we can decorate the grotto and other sites.
This recycling concept is used so that apart from keeping the projects’ expense at a minimum level we will be recycling effectively.

This project is serving as a clear example, that by means of unwanted and recycled material, one can easily build such a project that will durate for 5 weeks annually with an approximate 100,000 visitors each year. Bethlehem f’Ghajnsielem is now well know wordwidely and is impacting our economy very positively. It is also certificed by ISO 14001 2004 on environmental management standard. This project also won various awards and is placed with the best 12 Christmas attractions in the world according to the CNN.
It is our aim to keep on working so that this project will serve as an example of how one can by means of recycled material can build such a unique attraction in our Maltese Islands.
During the EWWR, we will raise awareness among the general public to bring us unwanted wooden pallets and other wooden material which can be used in the building of huts in this village.

23-25 November 2018 – Venue – Pjazza tad-Dehra, Ghajnsielem – Recycled Aluminium cans Campaign: Aluminum is a sustainable metal and can be recycled over and over again. It is the most recycled consumer product in the world.Recycling aluminum cans saves precious natural resources, energy, time and money – all for a good cause – helping out the earth, as well as the economy and local communities.
The council is to organise a collection campaign, based on a weekend, by urging the general public to save aluminium cans and then they will be flattened and used in aluminium artwork. The cans will be collected in a dispenser situated near the Council’s offices and then workshops will be organised in order to perform arts with this aluminium material. The first attempted project is to re-erect a dead tree by creating leave from recycled alumium and covering the dead tree trunk with coloured flattened aluminium cans. The aim of this project is to promote recycling and also to instill the idea that we can put dead things to life again by creating arts.