You might think the local square is looking tatty, or moan about the state of the litter in your street but it is always easier to grumble about it with the neighbours, wait for the council to clean it up, or complain through a Facebook post.
Most complaints are justified. Many areas around Malta are desperately crying out for a basic clean-up.
The mess could be the result of a number of issues, from ineffective local councils, to litterbugs who still have not learnt the basics of civic behaviour. Sometimes, it’s not really anyone’s fault.
Change is quite possible if we all did our little bit. All we need to do is to take the cue from clean-up heroes, the selfless types who will crack open a bin bag and scoop up crisp packets without any fuss.
We need people who want to make Malta a little cleaner, prettier, an even nicer place to live.
Luckily, in the last years, we are increasingly seeing volunteers who are literally rolling up their sleeves and picking up the rubbish that blights our streets, beaches and countryside. They’re not even getting paid to do it. Often, they do not even seek publicity.
Schools are organising beach clean-ups for their pupils and volunteer divers are pulling all sorts of rubbish from our harbours. Some citizens of Senglea recently made the headlines by potting street plants at their own cost and organising litter picks themselves, rather than waiting for someone else to do it for them.
iGaming companies, for example, often gather their staff for team-building events, not for another lavish party but heading instead to beaches and the countryside to do their bit and tidy up the country where they live and work.
People from overseas, who now call Malta their home, are frequently involved with positive action in their community. They are seeing the beauty and charm of Malta and want to preserve it.
It is sometimes disconcerting to see foreigners leading the charge to clean up the rubbish generated by the Maltese who have long resided in the same area.
We are lucky to have this league of selfless, civic-minded types, with bin liners for capes and recycling bags as their superpowers. They are not sitting around, holding out for some other hero to save the day.
What’s more important is there are people living in Malta who are leaders, doers, get-up-and-goers. People willing to lead by example, to give up their time to make their street, or park, or town square, a cleaner, nicer place.
They don’t want thanks. They’d rather have more people come along, pull on rubber gloves and pick up some rubbish.
This sense of civic pride isn’t just limited to litter-picking. There are plenty of people working out of the limelight to preserve Malta’s cultural heritage.
A new app, for example, will tell tales of life in Senglea around the time of World War II and beyond, preserving stories of our national identity and of the people who have long gone but should not be forgotten.
This app is free and the interviewees volunteered their time, getting involved in a community project not for payment but because it is the right thing to do.
These role models are inspiring the younger generation and, hopefully, making some adults think differently about their habits.
If you ever wanted to be a hero in your town or village, then go beyond that Facebook post of complaint and actively start making the change you love to see others do.