At the advent of 2020, more and more people are waking up to the importance of sustainable practices. Green is the way forward for the planet, and for the people...and not just indirectly. We'd love to see these initiatives taking shape within Maltese culture for the benefit of all!
1. Bulky refuse giveaway days
As long as fifteen years ago, when I lived in Melbourne for some time, I was enchanted by an initiative the city had. Bulky refuse was left on the pavement on the first Saturday of the month. It was left there for a night, a day and a night, and would be collected on Monday by the council if nobody else took it home first! What a wonderful idea.
One wealthy family's old sofa may well be a student's god-send! What you perceive as junk may well be raw material for an artist's creative idea. This simple initiative is a great way for the community to share good while reducing waste. Kerb crawling for bulky refuse this Saturday, anyone?
2. 'Recycle Malta' used by everybody
In the same spirit, little junk can be made available to others through the very popular Recycle Malta Facebook group. With 60,000 members, you can get rid of and find almost anything there. Why the group doesn't have 300,000 members is beyond me. Not sure that's even possible for a Facebook group, but I'd certainly urge you to join it as soon as possible.
It's a wonderful way to reduce waste and, believe it or not, there are many people out there who would just love your old curtains because they can't afford to get new ones. And since the taker is expected to pick up the freebie, it can be rather convenient if you live on the third floor and want to get rid of that old TV Unit without any hassle.
3. Dumpster diving opportunities
Still on a mission to reduce waste, we take a look at food now. Have you ever been handed a bag of slightly blackened bananas or avocados by your village green grocer? I have. "I won't sell them looking like this, but they're still good on the inside and it's a shame to throw them away. Maybe you can make them into a cake or something," he'd say.
Why aren't the larger corporations more like my conscientious green grocer? Oh the shame to conceive of the huge amount of food that goes to waste when the sell-by date is due. Anything from fresh vegetables to giant yoghurt tubs get thrown away while being perfectly consumable! Dumpster diving, while not necessarily encouraged, is not uncommon in many countries. What if Malta's ever-increasing number of supermarkets made such foods available to those willing to dig in to see what they can salvage? At the very least, donate them to a charity or NGO, because even making compost from the wasted veg is better than it being lost to the garbage truck.
4. Keep your street clean pride
How about reducing garbage too? Sadly, not all garbage goes where it's supposed to. Plastic and foil wrappers, bottles, cans, cigarette packets, food scraps and a bunch of other things still make it into public spaces. I recently rolled up my sleeves and collected three garbage bags full of rubbish from a small stretch of greenery on my street. Three reasons: it's unsightly, it attracts pests and glass is a fire hazard. I also collected a broomstick, a broken clothes horse and a rubber tyre.
The first thing to do to be a Keep The Streets Clean Warrior, of course, is to ensure your own garbage bags are properly sealed. Next, take them out at the appropriate time so animals can't rip them open. And if something gets loose and you spot it, don't be too proud to pick it up! Why not? It's a service to yourself and to your neighbours after all. In fact, any place you see garbage, especially plastic or glass, pick it up and dispose of it. A cleaner Malta is for everyone to enjoy and it takes the littlest effort!
5. Regular clothes swap events
Finally, although there's a strange kind of satisfaction that comes with giving a new lease of life to pre-loved items, what I love even better is when it was previously loved by a friend or a friend of a friend. Clothes swap parties are a thing in my circle and I truly believe everyone should do them! You and your friends probably share a similar taste in clothes, so when you get a little bored of your own, why not wear theirs and give them yours instead?
All you need to do is send out a message a few weeks ahead for all participants to clear out their wardrobes. My rule of thumb is that anything I haven't worn in the past year goes in the bag. Set a date for the clothes swap and lay down your unwanted goodies for others to help themselves while you help yourself to some of theirs. Some of my favourite and most frequently worn clothes items (and most complimented by those who wouldn't know better) are hand-me-downs of sorts. This is, effectively, a great way to revamp your wardrobe for free!
Your thoughts? Would you enjoy these initiatives being an integral part of Maltese culture in 2020?