r/malta • u/RipCold8596 • 1d ago
What do the Maltese think when they see how dirty the streets are
I’m super curious.
As a foreign national (who’s live here a long time) I just can’t believe how widely accepted it is that the streets are so dirty.
Rubbish everywhere, dog mess everywhere, it’s stinks.
These were taken all within 1km from each other.
Why is nobody outraged by this? Is it not embarrassing?
(Save the ‘go back to your own country’ messages)
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u/_humanERROR_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
It makes me embarrassed and angry. I've never left rubbish outside in my life save for garbage bags on the correct day.
It especially breaks my heart when I think I'm in the middle of nowhere and in somewhere hard to get to and I still see piles of fresh and old rubbish. It also means there is no escape in Malta from other humans and their destruction. Then when I see fields in more urban areas growing stuff while surrounded with dumped rubbish and plastics I think how stupid it is that anyone has the audacity to promote local fruit and veg.
One of the many reasons I've given up on the outside world and invest in my own home, plants and pets.
Also unpopular opinion: I believe that people should be forced to go through a competence test and get a licence to be able to own most pets including dogs. For the animals' sake as well as humans.
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u/Idiot_Pill_ 1d ago
I think people should be forced to have a competence test before having children too!
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u/_humanERROR_ 1d ago
Woah there that's too advanced for most people's brains. Antinatalism is only just starting to catch on.
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u/ubiquitish 1d ago
In my experience, the locals are the worst culprits...I have called out multiple guys trashing cigarettes and food trash and their response is ''this is my country''
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
I’ve had conversations previously and I always hear it’s immigration that has caused this but look at Dubai - 80% Indian immigration and it’s cleanest place in the world. This is just a culture here that nobody else matters but me - you see it with driving, queuing and obviously littering.
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u/Idiot_Pill_ 1d ago
For sure, I’ve been with Maltese friends and in the middle of almost being in several accidents due to the way they and others on the road drive they also were throwing litter out their window
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u/Alarmed-Resource-661 1d ago
Most of us really are. And when an immigrant points it out to us, the immediate reaction is to feel victimised and targeted, and instead of realising what is wrong, the defense is "This is my country and I should be able to do what I want".
A lot of us are stupid. Maybe it's the inbreeding. Maybe it's island mentality. Maybe it's a mix. We need more draconian punishment and enforcement that actually works.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
You’d think it shouldn’t come to that and the response on this thread has been mostly anger so people do agree this shouldn’t happen. Yet, nothing changes.
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u/Alarmed-Resource-661 1d ago
There definitely is anger, but I don't think this Reddit thread is an actual reflection of real life or the Maltese society.
A large portion of the average Maltese thinks it is fine to throw trash outside and break the law in other ways because "it's my country". That same average Maltese is definitely not on Reddit.
You can probably find a lot on "Are you being served?", where comments there are usually closer to the everyday reality. People telling you to quit snooping, to "carry your own cross" and mind your own business. To "leave the country if you don't like it".
I agree with you that I'd think it shouldn't come to punishment. I'd think common sense would be more common and understood. But animals don't understand "It's wrong to throw trash outside". Animals understand punishment.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Unfortunately (or fortunately) I don’t have Facebook so don’t see this. I would truly like to hear from somebody who would defend this and be happy with it. I would be fascinated to speak to them.
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u/Idiot_Pill_ 1d ago
Agree! It seems to be a mentality here, back in my country if anyone saw you littering you’d be shamed for it
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u/WhatsHeBuilding 1d ago
100 percent it is. Years of seeing how the Maltese treats their country make me question why tf i hbother so much myself. Have stood filming a Maltese dog owner right in his face while asking him why he doesn't pick up the shit his poodle just left on the Sliema promenade and he just laughed and continue walking.
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u/Jaseto88 1d ago
Malta is basically an open air dumpster and the locals are to blame for setting the example and not changing habits and then holding non-Maltese and tourists to a hired standard of respect to the country.
Also, smokers are the biggest piles of walking shit. Flicking their finished cigarettes wherever they want
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u/m1s0ph0n1a 1d ago edited 1d ago
As a smoker i agree. Im fed up of always trying to find a bin or somewhere to dispose where I can throw my butt while people are carelessly contributing to the degradation of our environment. Ive been to other eu countries with heavy smoking presence and they respect the enviroment.
Edit: typo
Ive had friends laugh at me cause I kept walking around with a cig butt till I found a bin, explains a lot really.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
I once had somebody laugh at me for putting my seatbelt on in the back of the car - that says all that’s needed about the ignorance here.
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u/m1s0ph0n1a 1d ago
My personal favorite is someone throwing a tissue in the street "because it will dissolve when it rains"
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u/No-Gur-3432 1d ago
I considered posting exactly this message a few times too. Been living here around 1,5 year now since I moved from Holland, and its horrible to see the lack of respect the locals have for their beautiful country. Most places could be so beautiful with a small bit of effort.
I've been told by other maltese that the older generations were worse, throwing away complete pieces of furniture and old electronics etc wherever they saw fit. Mind boggling.
In the first months I tried picking up some extra of the other dog shit that I saw, and picking up 1 or 2 pieces of plastic, every time I walked my own dogs at a local small green area with so much potential.
After a while I got yelled at by some grumpy old maltese dude across the street and his neighbour for walking my dogs there and an old woman for 'scaring the cats with my dogs', and then I just gave up and let them live with their trashy dog-shit filled park.
One thing that might actually make a difference is if they find a better way to do trash collection. By leaving bags of trash daily on the side of the road, many will be opened by cats for food remains, or get torn in other ways - filling the street with plastic stuff. Maybe a bigger container per neighbourhood would work better?
Also i believe they should just fine it mercilessly. The chances of being caught are small, but if you'd have to pay €800 euros or more for throwing your twix wrapper or empty cigarettes packet on the floor, maybe it might help prevent things. I don't know.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
I think a punishment is the only way - a strong punishment like you said. It would need to be enforceable somehow.
The issue is that person who got fined would think it’s the governments fault rather than their own. ‘How dare they fine me!’ So the government wouldn’t implement this as they would lose votes.
The place is fucked.
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u/Boring-Stranger2305 1d ago
There is also the mentality by some of: "I pay taxes for someone to be employed to sweep the streets, so if I throw something, it will get cleaned up anyway"
I also have a theory that smokers pollute more: It starts with a sigaret butt, then the plastic wrapper, then the packet, then the can/bottle/pastizzi bag/tissues/etc etc... People get in the habit of throwing carelessly and without shame.2
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u/No-Gur-3432 1d ago
Maybe it's good to start with a big awareness campaign showing exactly what Malta could be like if people take care of their own neighbourhoods, versus the state it is in now, creating a better awareness of who to blame next time they litter.
Then afterwards introduce the fines and warning campaigns. And in my opinion fly tipping should be punishable with fine + prison time.
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u/dont-kink-shame-me 1d ago
Up until the mid 90s, old washing machines and fridges were part of the countryside scenery.
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u/ilsemprelaziale 1d ago edited 1d ago
If you think that is bad come and see what is happening in Gozo. The locals dumping trash everywhere in nature. Not just trash bags with waste, but also industrial waste. Beautiful hiking trails ruined by locals who treat their island like an amusement park. And don't get me started on the morons dumping those blue laughing gas canisters everywhere.
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u/Mowgliuk 1d ago
I lived in Malta back in 2011. It became a running joke that in the countryside, while enjoying a stunning location, looking behind any stone wall would reveal a pile of discarded rubbish, washing machines, car parts... It was true 90% of the time.
Even the crater in Il-Ħofra had entire vehicles dumped in it; it's beyond me how they got in there.3
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u/GobonTalBzar 1d ago
I'm tired of getting angry at all the things that could be better about this country. Unfortunately I think the bastards have indeed ground me down into accepting mediocrity.
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u/MutedIllustrator145 1d ago
We are an uneducated and ignorant people unfortunately
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
So what can be done? How does this stop?
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u/MutedIllustrator145 1d ago
It’s a culture thing, that in Malta we feel we are special, we have extra rights over anyone else. We are allowed to piss on the streets and leave our cars in the middle of the street or park on pavements. Because we know we get away with it because we know “important” people. We don’t care about other people, other than our immediate family and friends.
This is how my fellow countrymen think, hence why I left 5 years ago
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Knowing important people so they can inconvenience others. Selfish and ignorant. Such a shame.
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u/anon_y_mousey 1d ago
Where did you go? I would love to do the same but I missed dearly the sun and sea when I was living abroad
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u/lastminutehaven 1d ago
From early age, clean up days at school, "pick up 5 pieces of litter every day" initiatives etc. In general, installing large underground bins which has been on the table in many localities but somehow still not implemented. Bins on every bus stop and in front of shops.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
The problem is the parents will undo all of that by showing their kids it’s okay to litter.
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u/Long_Director_6087 1d ago
not everyone, at least that's my impression
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
But too many. The place is filthy everywhere you look, nobody gives a crap about anyone else. How can a country be like this in 2026!
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u/Long_Director_6087 1d ago
because if you want a change, you should touch people's wallet. That's the only way. People behave like this because they know there won't be any consequence for them
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u/Eldritch_Moose 1d ago
what I think is "F'għoxx l-injoranza tal-bnedmin" because I cannot comprehend how a person can just chuck trash on the ground, especially when there are bins provided, and even when there aren't it's not excuse.
I spent the summer picking up trash from the sea and the coast every time I go swimming, and sometimes I pick up what I can when walking my dog.
Does it make a difference? Probably not, because there are a lot of stupid and selfish people out there that will keep treating the planet like their personal bin.
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u/OkTicket6456 1d ago
The Maltese think they should blame the government, even though bins, exist.
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u/rta9756 1d ago
There's a certain truth to this.
Everyone can clean up after themselves, but few have the ability to influence behaviour in others the way a government can.
I think there's quite a bit the government can do in terms of enablement, encouragement, and finally enforcement.
To be honest, I think there's a lot the government can do on the enablement. One option would be to use centrally located heavy duty waste containers, rather than just have rubbish outside everyone's . Another thing they do in Spain is if Surface bins would be unfeasible is to put them underground. Another would be to require each new apartment building to have a rubbish room with such heavy duty bins in them.
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u/Ok_Occasion_2596 1d ago
Honestly, it just makes me sad. I think there was a push in the 2000's to stop people littering and maybe younger generations are improving (you can look at xummiemu, the face of environmentalism in 2000's Malta)
I remember as a child watching my grandfather throw plastic bags into the sea like it's nothing because to him, it was nothing, he didn't even know what he was doing was wrong when I'd confront him.
I'm hoping the trend is positive...:
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Is there any education around this? Do schools teach about the negatives?
Shouldn’t need to because just from looking around anyone can see the issues.
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u/Ok_Occasion_2596 1d ago
From memory yes, but not sure about now.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
I just don’t get it - what goes through the mind of somebody who just throws something on the floor. Are they happy to see the above pictures. I wish I could speak to somebody who would defend this because there must be a certain number of people happy with this for it to get to this level.
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u/Ok_Occasion_2596 1d ago
I don't get it either buddy, I don't know that there's any conscious reasoning to get. Monkey see, monkey do, monkey get defensive if unconscious action is question
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u/Icy_Item_9132 1d ago edited 3h ago
So I've lived in Belgium 25 years. Recently I stopped at a fuel station on the motorway in the middle of nowhere between Belgium and Germany and there was this one van parked exactly in between the fuel pump on the left and on the right, by the first pump so the ones further down were blocked too. He went in like that and was looking for how to start pumping.
This asshat was blocking four pumps in total so he could take some fuel himself. Not a care in the world for the queue of cars behind him (it was busy). And I was stuck behind him. And I thought to myself, my god, I haven't encountered someone with this little consideration for others since I last was in Malta. Do people like this actually even exist here? First person quite like this I have encountered in over 25 years here.
And then the guy walked by in front me, shouting to someone in the car... in Maltese. They were Maltese tourists. Let us say the type who had probably left Malta for the very first time. Apparently even moving 3000 km away is not enough to get away from these uncivilised assholes.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Oh dear…
To be honest when I travel and then get to airport on way back, you can always pot the Maltese people.
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u/Atoonix 1d ago
It outrages people who are careful and don't litter, but the majority don't follow that mind set.
There is also a massive lack of enforcement from the police and other authorities when it comes to enforcing the law of people who litter, so there isn't really any punishment for people who are ok with litter in the street.
If we had proper monitoring and adequate punishment for bad actors, we'd be like other EU countries with clean street and side-walks but alas, neither of the two parties in Malta want to do anything about it.
Also if you read any comments saying its the foreigners fault, don't believe them. In fact, most foreigners tend be cleaner than the average Maltese from my personal experience.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
So you think if either party was to start fining people who do this they will lose votes? Do people really want to litter that much?
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u/Atoonix 1d ago
Here in Malta, people vote for the government which promises the most money in their pocket while doing the least possible.
If a government (regardless if it's Labour, PN or any of the other parties currently present in Malta), where to add a serious penalty of some sort to anyone caught littering, that government would effectively lose the vote of almost every individual that gets hit with the fine.
It's not a case of people wanting to litter that much, but a case of people not wanting to be fined for doing what they have been doing all their lives.
We Maltese hate change, especially when it can affect our pockets, and sadly solving littering is one of those changes that only works when pockets are affected.
I'm 100% sure, if the government announced some form of annual cheque handed out to the citizens if we meet a certain cleanliness quota, it would achieve a lot more than any virtue signalling or billboard or protest. I know it's sad and you probably don't see this form of behaviour in any other EU currently, but alas that is us. Some people have even accepted it as part of our culture.
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u/Cstott23 1d ago
I think This guy in Marsa sums it up perfectly.
"Why was I singled out for fly tipping when there's a mountain of rubbish here" - somehow completely unable to make the mental connection that it's his actions and exactly that attitude which is the problem. 🤷♂️
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u/Ok_Manager_1763 11h ago edited 11h ago
The Maltese keep their homes very clean- but only up to their own front door! Before so many houses got developed into apartments, people would sweep/wash the front, the driveway and the portion of street outside their own house.
Now that the entryway is (more often than not) shared with others, people don't take on that responsibility any more as 'it's not theirs'. If you look at streets that still predominantly have single family houses, they will be generally cleaner than areas dominated by apartments/shared houses.
If garbage is already present, there's a mentality that it's fine to add to it unfortunately...just as long as it's not outside 'my' house.
Changes to the garbage collection system, and a general lack of public bins outside of touristic areas has only exasperated the problem.
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u/garrusvak92 1d ago
The trash is ridiculous to be left on the street to begin with. I understand the argument there's no space for trash containers but we see everyone and their dog is using public spaces for their restaurant gardens and stuff like that. So I'd rather we remove all those and have containers instead and a cleaner environment.
What bugs me the most by far is the absolute lack of spatial awareness of people everywhere and at all times (on the street, in restaurants, in supermarket/shops, parking). How the heck does this happen? How does one learn to be this unaware of blocking others?
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u/40shillings 1d ago
The worst = going to the beach and seeing parents playing with kids in the sand, building sandcastles with them (nice!) but then stubbing the cigarettes out in the very same sand just a few metres away…
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u/Seagreenstreams 1d ago
I don't think that most even think about it, let alone register that it's dirty, as long as the immediate area about their doorstep is clean, the rest of the outside doesn't matter.
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u/Lazy_Cod_1237 1d ago
I used to tell off people for littering. On one occasion, after I told off a woman for throwing a packet of cigarettes out of the car she told her kids to get their crisp/sweet wrappers and throw them out of the window. All this was in their own street too. 🤷
The government needs to educate and enforce. It feels like the easiest and cheapest win anyone in government can get: a clean country.
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u/Free_Ad7415 1d ago
Where I live we get a lot of fly tipping, always Maltese people doing it.
I think most sensible people don’t like it and think it’s a bad thing.
However it’s very obvious how much more litter there is here than in most other countries I’ve visited.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
There is so much more filth in the streets of Malta than any 1st world country I have visited. Many 3rd world countries are cleaner.
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u/void_tainted1337 23h ago
I can name you plenty of 1st world country places that are way filthier, any major city in France or Belgium to begin with, many cities in Germany are strong contenders too. Malta looks like an average/middle of the pack country in this aspect. Not particularly dirty or clean.
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u/SofaSurfer9 1d ago
I don’t live in Malta anymore but used to for 11 years. I think the problem is rooted in the mentality. I understand that it’s not ALL Maltese but the majority simply don’t care. I used to live in a busy street in Sliema and on windy days I would see rubbish everywhere that would just stay in the street. I just couldn’t watch it no more so I grabbed a few bags and my broom and swept the entire street. My Maltese neighbour, an old lady, came out asking me if I was alright. Because the way she sweeps is she takes it off her own curb and onto the streets. Also for that week literally nobody was coming around and cleaning the streets.
We also did beach cleanups every single day while walking the dog only to watch people throw garbage and cigarettes there the very next day….
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
There are very strong financial benefits to being here for me and I manage to get off at least once a month. But I’d still like to live in a clean country and I just assumed everyone would so I cannot understand littering.
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u/ElevatedCaffeine 1d ago
Ashamed, embarrassed and most of all, defeated.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
But can’t something be done? Can we not do something about this?
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u/ElevatedCaffeine 1d ago
At an individual level the most you can do is to clean up some of the rubbish yourself, do not litter yourself and maybe try to teach the younger generation. This country is full of entitled, illiterate, greedy and stupid people. Try correcting someone's behavior and see uow he or she responds. Even when stuck in traffic, the amount of people I see throwing plastic or cigarattes from their car is incredible. Once a couple in a car infront of me decided to clean their car while driving. He started throwing bottpes, take away boxes, paper bags, plastic bags etc out if the window, as if it's normal behaviour. After a while, you just feel defeated and apathy takes over.
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u/SelfOk4979 1d ago
I am merely a guest in Malta. We were near Ghajn Tuffieha and walked up to Fortezza 2GM. It was impossible to enjoy the view because there was dog excrement every single meter. Between the filth in the towns and on the streets, I sometimes get the feeling that Malta—or at least some of its residents—wants to drive visitors away with all this mess.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Whilst living in filth? I think this is deeper ingrained in them than just doing this to drive away visitors
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u/Xarolin 1d ago
I'm foreigner and living in a village in Malta where the majority of people is Maltese. It's not like in sliema, St julian's etc where you see a lot of foreigners.
and from what I've seen here, it is the same as everywhere else. You see garbage flying around, you see people throwing garbage out of the cars, people throw cigarettes on the street, many don't clean after their dog...
So I would say it's humanity that can't behave and trash the world, not some specific group of persons or nationality.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
But there are much much cleaner countries so there is something about the mentality here.
I too live in a majority Maltese village and it’s dirty (pictures above). This mentality from the Maltese means it spreads into the foreign nationals and tourists. ‘If they don’t look after their own country why should I’
But whoever does it is scum, Maltese or otherwise.
But to say this is humanity is just wrong - have you not been to other countries where it’s not like this?
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u/heresyouraudit 1d ago
Why does property cost so much if everywhere looks so disgusting
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u/At-this-point-manafx 1d ago
Hate it. Big time. Personally I think we're too over populated to the island to function and I cannot understand why people litter in today's world
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u/Morriadeth 1d ago
Many people are inherently lazy and they do whatever is the most convenient for them at the time, do they cross the road or hold on to their rubbish to find a bin or do they just toss it...
The fact it's already full of rubbish makes them feel better about it as what's one more piece of litter, eh?
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u/Sufficient_Pin_5719 1d ago
I invited a friend of mine for a holiday. Construction woke us up at 6am - the noise went on all day.
We walked on the empty concrete streets covered by garbage and trash. I was ashamed.
Myself, I never litter & always pick up after my dog. To be honest, im annoyed that there isnt a bin anywhere and I have to carry the bag of poop for an hour.
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u/juka117 1d ago
this has to be an enforced thing with punishment. hit them where they really feel it, 100 euros on the spot! then you'll see the ingenuity of the maltese to avoid the fine. it's how wearing a seatbelt and stopping on red was enforced. local enforcement in malta is an utter joke. heard a story from a house cleaner saying that in her country if they catch you vandalizing, they will beat you up or even kill you. no need to go to extremes here but same principle, break the ignorance with punishment. these ppl don't learn and don't care unless you touch their wallets.
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u/KatarinaRen 15h ago
In my country the streets are usually very clean. Yes, we have way less population density which in itself is a huge issue and makes a difference, but... The world cleanup day started from my country. And somehow during the years it has become a habit of our nationals, we just don't throw garbage on the streets. It doesn't mean that nobody ever litters, but we also have cleaners on the streets, hired by local municipalities. It is about the mindset. It is about how a country deals with these issues.
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u/Icy_Item_9132 1d ago
Honestly, this is the least annoying of the habits of an uneducated and uncivilised people. You should check out the corruption, incompetence and what it does to public services. I'm not saying all Maltese people are an uncivilised, lawless lot. I'm saying the majority is. That's what 160 years of African colonialism does to a country. A friend of mine described Malta as "a place in Europe that civilisation has not reached yet".
It used to be worse when I was younger (40+ years ago) as there was also fly tipping like literally everywhere.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
But corruption is much harder to change that just not throwing your fag packets on the floor surely.
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u/neuralbeans 1d ago
They both require a change in culture and enforcement.
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u/Icy_Item_9132 1d ago
^ This. No, you need to eradicate bone ignorance and foster civility and a basic sense of civics and community-mindedness for both.
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u/Retronitsu 1d ago
Locals love to litter and blame foreigners for it
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 1d ago edited 1d ago
I wouldn't say that. I'm local and I never, litter and it's what I taught my son to do. I've seen both Maltese and foreigners litter, with mostly foreigners spitting on the street, so, do not generalise please.
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u/Retronitsu 1d ago
Ok, bravu
Sadly you're in the minority
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u/Consistent_Poet_9813 1d ago
In the minority of the whole population of about 600,000.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Weird thing to say. Minority would be 299,999. The Maltese are definitely more likely to litter than to not
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u/EnvironmentalAd6680 1d ago
normal maltese probably hate it. maltese politicians think "we don't take tax to actually spend it on infrastructure".
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u/LimpCod188 1d ago
Absolutely disgusting. What we need is consequences for littering. Who gets caught should get 1-3h community work cleaning the streets with no option to pay it off as a fine. Repeated offenders work hours exponentially increaseing.
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u/Commodities_MT 13h ago
A neighbor make her dog poo in front of my door almost daily, and pee, when I tried to speak with her, she denied, I tried to show her the cctv footage she switched to Maltese speaking telling me to speak Maltese as I'm in Malta and started shouting. Neighbors joined and started ti hear only barrani ta zob etc, Honestly the other Neighbors where so lovely even on of em was keeping speaking with her in English and reported her himself ( they are malteses as well, and very classy peoples )
Small exemple when 1 Maltese can destroy the reputation of all, even that the nicer ones was severals.
The point is stop pointing races or nationality and focus on the behavior of the individual himself.
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u/Substantial_Equal452 14h ago
Aside from what Maltese think, where are they all? We recently went on holiday to Malta and in the hotel as well as in the shops and restaurants the staff were Indian, Kenyan, North African, Philippino, Eastern European all working hard and providing excellent service - but no Maltese.
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u/nicolo_ntm 1d ago
I've been to Malta for two weeks. I've been for work and pleasure to many cities and neighbourhoods. One thing was always present: the smell of urine and/or feces. Whether human or animal, I am not sure. But as much as we loved Malta, the memory is tainted by that ever present smell.
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u/m1s0ph0n1a 1d ago
Not much considering we are a big part of the problem too.
Let's not get shit twisted, we eat where we shit but someone else is always to blame when they follow our example :)
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u/jools182 1d ago
I feel like they don't see it. I remember a guy who I work with coming back from a holiday in Spain. He was flabbergasted that they had people cleaning the streets with the machines with brushes and water that they walk behind. I told him it's not only Spain that does this, and it happens in most of Europe. I remember once walking near the Msida Bastion gardens, and seeing a Maltese family get out of their car and throw all the rubbish from their macdonalds meal onto the grass, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
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u/CypairaTheSkeleton 1d ago
As a Maltese myself, I always wonder if they were never thought to clean after themselves when they were kids.
Even as a child my parents Always told us to clean after ourselves, even after we visited a McDonald's.
So to any foreigner that sees this Rubbish, I am sorry on behalf of the rest of the half brained Maltese that have no fucking manners or respect to nature and society.
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u/carwin7 1d ago
I am the complete opposite. My mother always told me to leave the tray there and “issa jigi jnaddaf min jahdem hawn” lol
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Translate please
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u/carwin7 1d ago
She always used to tell me to leave the tray there, and the worker will pick it up after us. Hopefully that mentality will be dying off soon
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Whilst I don’t agree I can possibly understand that. It’s wrong but it’s nowhere near as bad as leaving dog shit and fag butts on the ground where children walk and play.
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u/CypairaTheSkeleton 1d ago
I would love for her to know what it's like to work at a fast food resturant. XD
Imagine someone decides to use Two Tables, to Stack trays and Rubbish on it. That is Not worth the paycheck. If they still prefer to leave the tray on the table, it would be greatly appreciated by the worker if the rubbish is at least left inside of it for easy pick up. But if the customer picks the tray and cleans after themselves, that makes the worker's job much easier.
I used to work at a Fast Food Restaurant, so I know how it feels.
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u/Seven65 1d ago
I dunno, I always clean up after myself, but I've also always been of the mindset that if I'm getting paid, I just do whatever needs to be done.
I know there are people who have a very narrow view of their job description, or find certain tasks beneath them, but I have never understood that mentality. Every job needs doing, and I'm paid to be there.
Some tasks are more glamourous than others, but there are definitely days in my job as a trade worker when cleaning up at a McDonalds would feel like a luxury, in comparison to what the day calls for. I'm always happy to pick up a broom or take out trash during downtime, if I'm getting paid. Probably one of the reasons why I've never had to seek out a job, people see that and there are always other offers on the table.
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u/CypairaTheSkeleton 1d ago
Of course I used to do what needs to be, didn't try to avoid the chore if it was part of my job description, but personally, In my Opinion, doing the bare minimum and clearing up after ourselves makes the job at least easier for the people working there.
Not trying to pick up a debate, that's just my honest thought.
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u/Seven65 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah, no argument here. Like I said, I always leave things as tidy as I can, out of courtesy. Just saying that personally, when the shoe's on the other foot, I don't make a big deal about cleaning up after others either. The way I see it, people go out to not have to worry about things, and if I'm making money, work is work.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Why would it be ‘even after’ McDonald’s. Why would McDonald’s be any different - always clean up after yourself even if you’re eating junk food surely.
It’s a very sad situation this country finds itself in.
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u/CypairaTheSkeleton 1d ago
I'm not sure if I said anything wrong, I used it as an example to clear up after ourselves to make it easier at least for the workers.
But even when we were outside, they always made sure we picked up everything behind us like tissues, cookie wraps, etc.
But I feel your frustration, I am also angry at the people that think littering is okay.
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u/Harloc89 1d ago
You will be criticised really hard on this eh...and some will say that the people are dirty and that the government spens an X amount of millions of Euros to keep the country tidy (supposedly)...
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
There’s some clown trying to say I can’t complain about dog shit on the floor if I drive or use AI … this is the problem in this country.
Classic use of whataboutism
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u/New_me_Cri 1d ago
Every country is dirty, they just clean up better. We don't care
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Well you should care - what an awful comment
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u/New_me_Cri 16h ago
I didn't say I don't care, when I say 'we' I mean as a nation and I am maltese so I am 'we'.
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u/ArtisticVisit9550 1d ago
I'm ashamed to see how dirty some people can be, I often wonder if they're like this at home. Lots of Maltese people do get upset and complain on "Are You Being Served" Facebook pages.
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u/Plenty_Assumption_18 1d ago
First and foremost people need to be educated. I see very little education regards littering! Secondly government needs to spend more on cleaning the roads and pavements. In Tenerife you see them spraying the pavements every day around 6am.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Yep governments fault and responsibility.
It’s impossible for people to understand that littering is wrong without explicitly education.
Says a lot about the IQ of the Maltese
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u/Aw151203 1d ago
I visited Malta for a week last week and it’s a beautiful country with some of the best architecture I’ve ever seen and most of the locals were lovely but I did notice a few things that I wasn’t fond of.
Now I’m English and to be honest there’s a lot of the same here but it’s a lot more spread out. Some things that really stuck out to me was just how many cigarette butts there were everywhere, how almost every minibus we got into smelled like smoke and how many people were smoking everywhere. And yeah it wasn’t actually that bad in Valleta but we were staying in Marsakala and it was like an obstacle course dodging the dog shit, it was absolutely everywhere, and it was similar when we went to Birgu (or might’ve been Senglea but one of the two). And the public toilets were either really good or some of the worst I’ve ever seen with no middle ground.
Overall though I found the country a brilliant place to visit
(I found this sub last Thursday when there was that huge power cut and searched up some info about it)
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
The people in those areas tend to be of a lower class to be honest so I’m not surprised but that ignorance seems to be spreading
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u/Long-Hovercraft1262 1d ago
I never understood it either but I can tell you, as a Maltese person who lived in the UK and then came back to Malta from 6th form onwards, youngsters think it's cool to smoke and litter and not care about it really. Even University students make such a mess, especially during fresher's
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u/void_tainted1337 1d ago
looks average to me, seen better and worse
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u/Hot_Owl4680 1d ago
Most maltese are working 12 hours to survive living in their own country, they aren't out on the street to see the dirt.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Not sure of this - I don’t think there’s enough working here hence the need for many Indians
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u/ConcernNo5537 1d ago
Most of us Maltese think the dirt we throw outside will mysteriously disappear 🤷🏼♂️
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u/Spirited_Display5650 1d ago
Do you know they were Maltese?
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Yes, I live in a mostly Maltese area and every argument I’ve had about picking up dog shit has been with Maltese people. I know you don’t want to hear ir but things is mostly Maltese
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u/MichKatM 1d ago
The dog crap is ridiculous. Pick up after your dog. It's just common manners. Are there fines? Seems like they could make a bunch of money off the litterers.
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u/juiceboxjenny 21h ago
My grandpa was born and raised in Malta before moving to Canada to marry. A dream of mine after he passed was to visit. While I loved the country and had a blast when I did visit - I was sad to see the state of the streets. Dog feces, garbage, empty beer bottles and cockroaches everywhere. Very sad :(
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u/Beentheredunthat1988 15h ago
My nan and grandpa brought an appartment in malta around 30 years ago they met this lovely couple at the beach the man was a police officer and the wife worked at a resteraunt they stayed in contact for a few years going forward and my grandparents found out they was struggling to get a property for their family and young kids to live in as they didn’t have a lot of money at the time so while my grandpa and grandma wasn’t around they let them stay in their appartment for a few years no rent just look after it as they lived back in Europe and they was saving for their retirement ….. long story short they stayed in contact for decades after met them everytime they went to Malta for dinner and drinks now the couple are doing amazing have million euro property and a very successful business , well my nan died a few years ago and my grandad is alone and doesn’t visit Malta anymore as he’s worried for his health if he travels and his wellbeing if he travelled there alone and that couple never even sent a card or flew over or even rang his fone. ….. moral of the story Maltese are very selfish it’s all about them nobody else …..
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u/RipCold8596 15h ago
That pretty much sums up most of the Maltese attitude to be honest. Selfishness within their core
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u/MattiaEt 15h ago
They should give 1000€ fine for who dont pick up the shit of the dog from the floor! We dont like to step in the shit of your dog!
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u/Optimal_Buy_9953 13h ago
The last journalist who called them bogans was killed... Pretty much sums it up for me...
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u/InkyLizard 7h ago
I'm not there currently, but a Maltese friend of mine is fuming because this would be so easy to fix by just having trashcans in front of buildings (what a revolutionary idea!).
I remember the public trashcans being very few and far between too, I never litter but I can't exactly blame someone for not wanting to bring their trash and smelly cigarette butts with them to the cornerstore or wherever just because the nearest bin is in a different part of town
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u/Individual-Jelly-644 1d ago
yesterday in emsida, I saw an african man explaining to a young guy driving a mini-truck that he is going in the wrong direction. hahaha. I've heard people say before: "this is Malta," but I didn't expect a young person to say that as an excuse, especially not to a migrant/expat.
Malta has always been "a bit" dirty, but that was mainly due to the wind, sand and the way garbage was collected. unfortunately, this year dirt is noticeable everywhere. in Valletta they wash only the main street, and restaurants no longer clean in front of their premises. I have no comments because I am a foreigner myself. I hope for a better situation.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
So the Maltese guy was proud that in Malta you can drive down a street the wrong way…
Proud of incompetence and lawlessness
Very very sad.
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u/Fluffy-Rope-5822 1d ago
I am leaving Malta today from a 2 week vacation. I don't know where you went looking for those photos but my wifevand i saw little trash or other on either streets or sidewalks. In fact we were impressed by how LITTLE litter there was. Every city in today's world has litter.
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
Went looking?? I walked to the barbers and back (8 min walk each way).
I’m happy you didn’t see much litter - that gives me hope but scores of comments below say otherwise so I wouldn’t assume your experience is the one representative of the facts.
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u/CrowEmbarrassed9133 1d ago
They like it, otherwise it wouldn’t have been like that. Where I live the majority Maltese, they have 0 consideration I’m constantly shocked. And it’s on the north not hamallu land
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u/RipCold8596 1d ago
This is from Lija/ Balzan - so not hamallu land as you put it. You MIGHT expect it in certain low class areas I guess.
This is everywhere you look - it’s a disgrace
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u/SKEYES1102 1d ago
My parents were born and raised there. I heard stories of how clean it was. My parents would always say that you could eat off of the sidewalks. I experienced how clean the streets were in 1988 and 1992. I went back in 2024 with my husband and two sons. Malta is in my blood, and I love the Maltese people. It’s so wonderful being around them. But every group of people has corruption. If you say no, you’re a liar. And because of this greed, Malta is dying. And you can say this for ALL European countries. If you are to have an EU, you need to vet who comes in. If you don’t, you will not have a Europe no longer. You cannot inundate a culture with another culture…that is called an invasion and a takeover. Malta and the Maltese people, you know your history and your heritage. Don’t let go of it. And to the younger generations, read up on your history. Those Knights are rolling over in their graves along with all those who lost their lives fighting the Nazis. So many wanted to come and conquer, and only with the grace of God, it did not happen. I am always praying for this beautiful country along with the rest of Europe and the United States. There is nothing wrong with blending cultures and people, but there is everything wrong when it becomes an invasion, especially when it is as silent as it has been and as big as it has been all in the name of greed.
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u/Negative-Lobster3873 19h ago
Basically what happened when the Europeans invaded the United States and inundated one culture with another.
Lol- why do you blame immigrants for litter when the locals are largely to blame and seem to be the biggest contributors to the problem?
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u/Alarmed-Resource-661 1d ago
Some of us are indeed outraged by this. Personally, and I am Maltese, it makes my blood boil. Same goes for double parking, the general lack of spatial awareness, the lack of driving skill/knowledge and just the general sense of entitlement most of us seem to have.
Not too long ago I was walking and saw a Maltese mother with her son in the main road. He had a McDonalds cup in hand and wanted to throw it away. She literally pointed at the base of a tree and told him to leave it there. They kept walking and i picked it up myself as there was a bin 20 steps away. I wanted the mum to perhaps turn and notice me just so I could talk to her, but that didn't happen.
Then, before going into their house, the mum threw a cigarette outside, went in, and closed the door.
I am by no means an environmentalist, but this is just wrong. There is no excuse.
Some people do not deserve the grace of living outside of a cage. But they are all around us.