Forty Cigarette Disposal Bins Installed Around Malta And Gozo’s Sandy Beaches
Forty cigarette bin disposal units have been installed on sandy beaches around Malta and Gozo as part of the Saving Our Blue Campaign.
“Don’t litter with your filter” is just one of the phrases associated with the environmental campaign, with the new bins aimed at further encouraging people from illegally disposing of cigarette butts on beaches.
“From various clean-ups that are being carried out in these months we are finding various plastic objects that damage the marine environment. With more such initiatives we want to make a positive impact on the environment so that future generations will be able to enjoy a beautiful environment of our country,” Environmental Minister Miriam Dalli.
Twenty-five containers were installed across Malta: Armier, Għadira, Golden Bay, Għajn Tuffieħa, Ġnejna, Little Armier, Paradise Bay, Pretty Bay, San Ġorġ Bay, and at White Tower Bay.
Fifteen containers have been installed in Gozo and Comino: Blue Lagoon and St. Mary’s Bay, Daħlet Qorrot, Ħondoq ir-Rummein, Marsalforn, Mġarr ix-Xini, Ramla l-Ħamra, San Blas, Xlendi and Xwejni.
A survey conducted by the Environment Ministry in 2021 found that 98.1% of individuals in Malta who smoke are aware of the fact that dumping in the environment is illegal, while 11% of smokers admit to still throwing cigarette butts on the floor.
Over the years, local clean-ups have shown that cigarette butts are among the most commonly found garbage collected from the beaches.
Cigarette butts fall into the single-use plastic category because they are made of plastic, and can take up to 10 years to disintegrate.
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