40 cigarette bin disposal units have been installed on sandy beaches all around the Maltese islands in a bid to reduce seaside litter.

This was done as part of the Saving Our Blue Campaign, which aims to raise awareness about environmental protection around Malta.  

25 of the 40 containers were installed at the following beaches in Malta: Armier, Għadira, Golden Bay, Għajn Tuffieħa, Ġnejna, Little Armier, Paradise Bay, Pretty Bay, San Ġorġ Bay, and at White Tower Bay. 

The remaining 15 were installed at the following beaches across Gozo and Comino: Blue Lagoon, St. Mary's Bay, Daħlet Qorrot, Ħondoq ir-Rummien, Marsalforn, Mġarr ix-Xini, Ramla l-Ħamra, San Blas, Xlendi and Xwejni.

A survey conducted by the Environment Ministry in 2021 found that 98.1 per cent of smokers in Malta are aware of the fact that littering is illegal. Despite that, 11 per cent of smokers admitted that they still throw cigarette butts on the floor. 

Through slogans such as "don't litter with your filter" and these ballot bins, Saving Our Blue hopes to encourage people to refrain from illegally disposing of cigarette butts on beaches.

"From various clean-ups that are being carried out in these months we are finding various plastic objects that damage the marine environment. With more such initiatives, we want to make a positive impact on the environment so that future generations will be able to enjoy the beautiful environment of our country," Environment Minister Miriam Dalli said. 

Local clean-ups organised over the years have found that cigarette butts are among the most commonly found pollutants collected from beaches. What some may not know is that cigarette butts fall into the single-use plastic category because they are made of plastic and can take up to 10 years to disintegrate. 

Have you seen these ballot bins around? 

Kevin Abela