Derelict vehicles and other material have been blemishing our countryside and urban areas for too long now. The government and local councils strive to enhance the quality of life of residents and the tourism product but a lot of this effort is tarnished because of irresponsible individuals who opt to dump derelict vehicles and other unwanted material wherever they deem convenient. That this causes a nuisance and is an eyesore to the rest of the population is of no concern to them.

It was time to take the bull by the horns and we embarked on an initiative to identify these eyesores and start restoring our rural and urban areas from the defacement they have been subjected to over the years.

It was clear from the beginning that this was not an easy exercise and for it to be a success a good team and a strong coordinated effort was needed. In this regard we ringed in the Resources and Rural Affairs Ministry, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, local councils, the police and local wardens. All of these were enthusiastic about the project, believed in it and deployed a large chunk of human resources behind it.

The first task was to identify the locations to be cleaned up. Local councils are in an ideal position to identify such sites and the work they carried out was nothing short of commendable. Local councils understood the importance of this initiative and realised that, by participating, they will be adding value to the product that is their locality.

Once the sites were identified it was time for the task force to issue a call for tenders for a contractor who would collect the material, store it in a licensed scrapyard, and later export it for recycling. This modus operandi was chosen both for its effectiveness and also for its economic viability. In this way the whole operation is almost financially self-supporting as it is being financed by the collected material itself. In short, dumped material is paying for its own removal and the returning of the site to its original state.

Mepa issued call letters and enforcement notices in the first localities earmarked for cleaning up and owners were given ample time to dispose of the material themselves. Here I have to stress that a large number of residents understood the importance of the initiative and collaborated by removing the material they has disposed of.

This not only reduced Mepa’s and the Public Cleansing Department’s workload but also showed that our environmental conscience is there. It just needs a spark to fire it up. Moreover, it makes economic sense for owners to dispose of the material themselves as this will give them a financial return once it is sold for recycling.

This operation encompasses the concept of sustainability, a concept that the government has committed itself to attain. It is a self-supporting initiative which benefits all. Owners who dispose of their dumped material, residents and tourists are all beneficiaries of this enterprise. But the biggest beneficiary is our country. We have inflicted a lot of damage on our environment. It’s time to give something back.

Cleaning operations are so far taking place in 26 localities in Malta and six in Gozo. The phase of the operation varies from one locality to the other. There are localities in which the cleaning operation is in full flow while in others we are still in the process of identifying sites.

Mepa has so far issued call letters in around 250 sites. The locality of Mellieha was used as a pilot project and here 30 out of 41 sites were cleaned by owners. Statistics show that owners removed around 200 tonnes of material while Mepa’s Direct Action team removed more than 86 tonnes. The Public Cleansing Department’s effort resulted in the removal of 25 tonnes of material. In Zurrieq 36 sites were identified and of these, 32 were cleaned up by the owners themselves.

These statistics are not the benchmark of success. They will go higher once we extend our operations to other localities and sites. But that is not our biggest challenge. Our biggest challenge is to change the mentality. Everyone should understand that our environment determines our quality of life. It is also a determining factor of the strength of product Malta. Our biggest success will come when the statistics start dwindling. Our aim will be reached when identifying sites becomes a problem. Only then would we have given our country what it deserves.

Chris Said is parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister