Over 30 volunteers from Games Global, Kindred Group, Betsson, Bet365, 1Gamechanger, Flutter and NoID came together with the environmental team of the Eastern Regional Council plus some local volunteers to clear a section of the regional road plus the Natura 2000 area in Pembroke, in some pretty harsh late summer temperatures. With the support of officers from LESA to control the traffic, and CleanMalta for logistics, we completed a successful morning’s work, and finished off with our traditional refreshment mingle.
Back in May of this year we were approached by the Eastern Regional Council about collaborating on some environmental events they were planning for September, to coincide with World Cleanup Month. We went along and had a positive meeting with Andrea Borg Brincat and Ryan Zammit at the council offices in San Gwann, where they outlined their ambitions for a number of cleanup collaborations spread over the month, and we agreed that we would start looking into an event on the 7th September in Pembroke. The council already had plans to clean the Natura 2000 area south of St Clares College Pembroke Secondary school, and I had for a long time had my eye on the regional road Triq Sant’ Andrija, from Graziella to the Pembroke Military Cemetery, a stretch of road heavily polluted with plastic and other rubbish, and a major eyesore for anyone travelling in to town.
Pembroke Local Council were also on board, and we began planning our strategy for a two-pronged event, one an arduous roadside cleanup with heavy traffic continually speeding past, and the other covering the dry and rocky Natura 2000 slopes above the Pembroke Firing Ranges and Reverse Osmosis plant. What was needed next was a central meeting point for both legs of the clean-up, and we eventually found one the Melita Football Club, whose manager Johan agreed to open specially for us, to show support for our efforts in cleaning the local environment.
We also met with Michael Naudi, founder of The Grid Malta, who hold frequent sporting events in the Pembroke area, and they were soon confirmed as our final partners for the clean-up. We launched our Facebook Events page and shared the comms between the partners to publicise the day. We were aware that it is perhaps not everyone’s ideal way to spend a Saturday morning, picking up rubbish in blazing heat alongside a major highway, so we promoted one leg as the Endurance clean-up, under the direction of iGEN, while Natura 2000 leg was taken under the wing of the council Environment team, and as always we were happy to see quite a few kids joining.
With all the elements in place, we waited to see how the weather would be treating us, as we were in the middle of a particularly warm stretch of weather, with high temperatures and humidity, but also some recent unstable weather, including thunderstorms. Luckily(!) the day dawned clear, and by 09:00 we had set up base camp outside the football club, with the flags of iGEN and the Council hanging in the still air, and soon people began to arrive, as the heat began to steadily rise. By 09:45 our two groups were heading off in their respective directions.
Armed with sacks and energy drinks supplied by Andrea and Ryan of Regun Lvant, the Games Global team headed off into the Natura 2000 area and began work, following the many pathways winding through the large open public space. Upon reaching the regional road, the Endurance team split into pairs, each staking an area of the roadside verge, and began picking trash, much of it recently trimmed to shreds by the road maintenance teams, which made our work that much harder!
For the next few hours our two gallant teams persevered in the relentless sun, filling sack after sack with rubbish, dripping sweat and seeking whatever shade there was available for an occasional breather and a mouthful of, by now, warm water. Our photographer Vlad Dobrovolskyi was busy snapping the day’s events and also helping carry heavier objects to the collection point. By 11:45 the sun was at its highest and the heat becoming unbearable, so we decided to call time, and began collecting the filled sacks and moving them to the two collection points for weighing.
The endurance team finished weighing their sacks and, piling them up for later collection by the cleansing department, began making their slow way back to the meeting point, arriving around 12:15. The Natura team were also beginning to appear through the bushes, carrying their sacks to the second collection point by the football club carpark. Soon they were busy weighing their finds, as the rest of the volunteers moved into the welcome shade of the Melita Football Club bar, where we were given a warm welcome.
The staff had placed rows of tables together, and soon ice-cold drinks and ice-creams were being brought forth, as well as trays of complimentary snacks. Eventually everyone was seated and cooling off, and we could calculate the total haul for the day with the help of Natasha Jones, who soon tallied up the 241.1 kgs of rubbish we had collected. The group photo gives a hint of the sense of relief in the bar – there was a great sense of a job well done, but also gratitude that is was over, for this time at least, and although it took a while to recover, slowly people began to think about making a move, and gradually the tables were empty. A great effort from everyone involved, and great to see volunteers from the iGaming and business worlds giving back to the local community! Already looking forward to the next clean-up!
