Work to combat marine pollution continues, through a collaboration between the Environment Ministry, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and the eNGO #Thrash. This was announced by the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Planning Aaron Farrugia who explained how this collaboration includes various initiatives; including the use and maintenance of various seabins so that small pieces of waste and plastic that can be irresponsibly discarded or dumped at sea to the detriment of marine species and ecosystems can be intercepted. The waste to be collected from seabins will be analyzed and studied in detail, so that the related data can be used to develop new environmental initiatives, which prevent certain types of waste from ending up in the sea. The work will include various clean-ups on land as well as clean-ups of marine protected areas, seabed monitoring for new cleanable areas, collection of lost fishing material such as nets, as well as the export of material found for recycling. The Minister said that the information that will be gathered from this collaboration is crucial for the Maltese people, in order to continue the valuable work related to the reduction of waste at sea and to raise awareness about the damage cause by single-use plastics on marine species – as stressed by the Saving Our Blue campaign. This work is being carried out at the right time, paving the way for a ban on the sale of various single-use plastics in Malta from January next year. “While these initiatives are a clear example of how the Ministry for the Environment continues to work with different spheres of society, in order to improve the quality of the environment around us, the public is being asked to do its part and to look after the marine environment on which marine creatures, ecosystems and the economy depend. It is important for the public to protect marine protected areas where no waste should be dumped, “said the Minister. The Minister reiterated that Malta’s dependence on maritime activities remains high compared to other small member states in the European Union which are islands, which is why we must make sure that we use this sector in the best possible way to generate wealth and employment for the benefit of the people given that the blue economy sector accounts for 15% of the Maltese economy and generates around 27,000 jobs. The Minister explained that it is crucial to find a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation also because the two are intrinsically linked.
https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/work-to-combat-marine-pollution-in-maltese-waters-continues/