Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1337056
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS 'We'll end up eating plastic' Clean-up activist Raniero Borg hopes to restore Maltese waters to their former glory with his regular underwater clean-ups LAURA CALLEJA SINCE the age of 20, avid diver Raniero Borg started clocking the fast rise of plastic waste in Maltese waters. Today at 62, the businessman with a passion for the environment rues the deterioration of the once-clear Maltese sea teeming with fauna. "In the last ten years I have no- ticed a drastic decrease in ma- rine life," he says, complaining about how plastic waste affects the diffusion of sunlight that is necessary to sustain the flora and fauna of the marine world. In the past weeks, his Face- book page – aptly named Ranie- ro's Adventures – took a break from his usual scuba-diving clean-ups, to discover a metal gate barring access to Fomm ir- Riħ, the secluded Bahrija beach where Borg was planning to clean up debris washed in from the sea. The estate, recently acquired by construction lob- by boss Sandro Chetcuti, had locked access to the public de- spite a government deed guar- anteeing perpetual passage to the foreshore and the sea. Like this unfortunate discov- ery, Borg's underwater clean- ups, which he films together with his diving mates, reveals a host of offensive materials. "We have removed cars, tyres, plas- tic bottles and metal parts from machines out of the sea," Borg says of the egregious discover- ies that never cease to amaze him. Clearly, for Borg this under- water experience has a personal and sentimental bond. "I would want to leave the sea as I found it when I started diving some 40 years ago. It was full of life, with large schools of fish and vol- umes of marine animals, which have now decreased due to the destruction we have caused." His Facebook page has amassed a con- siderable following from those interest- ed in helping out. "I want everyone to be encouraged to pick up waste on the side of the road because everyone can help out," he says. "Many of my fol- lowers are not divers, and so I give them a clear picture of what is in our Maltese seas. Ever since we changed from glass to plastic, it seems that the plastic always made its way to the sea," Borg says of Malta's pre-EU switch from re- usable glass bottle containers to plastic bottles. Indeed last week Nature Trust made yet another ap- peal to the public to dispose of plastic waste appropriately after dis- covering a dead juvenile loggerhead turtle, found entangled in marine de- bris from head to back. The NGO said the pub- lic should be urged to reduce single-use plas- tic, even that which is still in the market, since dumping it usually sees it making its way down to the sea. Borg says he targets many areas which he says are in need of atten- tion. "I then take videos show- ing the disaster and post them to social media, followed by the media and local councils. Some of my videos have even reached international media. After all, this is what it's all about – rais- ing awareness." Borg says he wants the pub- lic to understand that if noth- ing is done about the increased waste in locations such as Par- adise Bay, Fomm in-Riħ, Sirens Bay, Xemxija, St George's Bay, Marsaxlokk and Marsaskala, it can only continue to pile up to the detriment of the natural surroundings. "The waste would find its way out of the ocean, and become part of the coastal areas. If we do not organise clean-ups, espe- cially in these areas mentioned, it will only continue to gather and gather. Ultimately, every- one needs to notice that all the waste materials will somehow still end up in our food chain... we could, down the line, end up eating plastic. Do not forget the harm caused to the marine en- vironment – and then climate change is another important story," Borg says of the immi- nent challenges facing the earth. Borg believes the majority of people on the island love the environment just like him, but he complains that some simply cannot be bothered about the smallest of efforts to prevent waste from being disposed of in nature. "It could be a simple cigarette butt, and there would be one to- day and thousands at the end of life – waste just piling up. "The horrible thing is that we actually have great services in Malta with regards to waste management and collection, but others simply do not care and discard of it illegally," Borg says. Ultimately, Borg thinks he could only prescribe a hefty penalty for those who keep dis- posing of large bulky waste ille- gally. "They should be fined ap- propriately," he says, suggesting a minimum €5,000 on abusive dumpers who take bulky waste out to the sea or the country- side. "And should they be caught in action by a bystander, then that bystander should receive a reward – I'd say 20% of the fine – for reporting and showing ev- idence: that cycle could go on until eventually we have cleaner and safe outdoors. And I think even the motor vehicle of those found guilty should be confis- cated!" Borg says. Clean-up hero: Raniero Borg and his haul of debris from the sea in one of his diving expeditions. The 62-year- old brought to public attention the recent barring of access to the Fomm ir-Rih bay in Bahrija