Europe’s first-ever solar-powered seabin has landed (or floated) in Malta.

Taking up a spot in Spinola Bay in St Julian’s, the new unit will allow the seabin to cover trickier locations.

Headed by NGO Żibel and made possible through local company Prohealth, the seabin will open more possibilities for cleaning up Malta’s seas.

A seabin basically does what it says; it collects trash and rubbish that is floating in the sea.

Water is drawn in from the surface and passes through a catch bag inside the seabin.

A submersible water pump capable of displacing 25,000 lph (litres per hour), then pumps water back into the sea, leaving litter and debris trapped in the catch bag.

“Our focus here is the Environment,” Prohealth told Lovin Malta.

“We want to create an awareness in the public and make people understand the need to dispose of their waste properly and also explain the effect plastics have on our seas and marine life,” they went on, discussing their collaboration with Żibel, Strand Marine, and of course the St. Julian’s Local Council.