During their annual Ocean Bed Clean-Up, the QLZH Foundation (www.qlzhfoundation.com.mt), the philanthropic arm of QuickLets and Zanzi Homes, collected over 1.8 tons (1,800kg) of rubbish from the seabed and surroundings of Senglea waterfront.
It took over half a day for the team of 100 volunteers, including 40 divers and 12 people on kayaks, to clear the sea of 55kg of plastic, 980kg of metal, 155kg of wood, 122kg of glass, 185kg of tyres and other material, amounting to another 305kg.
Among the items the volunteers found on the seabed were road signs, car tyres, sinks, fans and even toilets.
Led by the foundation’s co-founder, Steve Mercieca, the environmentally driven organisation aims to raise awareness about the correct disposal of everyday waste and how every individual’s contribution, or lack therefore, leaves a massive impact, often lasting hundreds of years, on our planet.
“It’s not just about the clean-up, because even if we did this clean-up every day for a year, it is still not going to be clean. It’s more about awareness on taking care of our own stuff, not to over-consume things we do not need and dispose of our rubbish in a proper manner,” he said.
This initiative started in 2017 during one of the group’s Friday Morning Meetings where the property specialists of QuickLets and Zanzi Homes would gather for a motivational and training session which often included educational sessions about the environment. Back then, the team of just below 180 – which over the years grew to more than 500 – were shown a clip about the upcoming World Ocean Day and the reality we so often do not see or prefer to ignore.
The powerful scene served as a catalyst to ignite a desire within each team member to get up and do something about it . And so, the first QLZH Foundation Ocean Bed Clean-up was born.
Ever since, year after year, the property specialist at QuickLets and Zanzi Homes, together with volunteers, other NGOs, associations and private organisations come together to clean Malta’s undersea environment from tons of rubbish.
This year’s main sponsors were Deloitte Foundation and the Malta Developers Association.
“Just take care of the environment. We share this island together, we share the planet, let’s not make a mess and clean up in the proper manner. Don’t litter,” Mercieca said.