The Malta Independent on Sunday
Clean up of Maltese seas hauls over 140kg of plastic
The Clean the Seas project launched by Mr Green, in collaboration with the University of Malta back in July, came to an end earlier this month. The result was a massive haul of 140kg of plastic collected from the Maltese shores.
Award-winning online gaming operator Mr Green is known for their commitment to sustainability, both in terms of responsible gaming as well as business ethics and the environment. Through this latest project, Mr Green enabled a structured initiative to clean the Maltese coastal waters and spread awareness about the health of the Mediterranean Sea. Over the summer months Mr Green employees, in collaboration with students from the University of Malta and MSc students from the University of York, UK, studying Marine Environmental management under the direction of Prof. Alan Deidun, cleaned the shores and waters around Malta.
Collection areas were divided into the following four search routes each including coves, caves and bays for more efficient collection: Valletta port and harbour areas; North-east coast of Malta (Portomaso to Mellieha); Southeast coast of Malta (Portomaso down to Marsaxlokk excluding route 1) and Northwest coast (Ġnejna Bay, Golden Bay, Għadira Bay, Anchor Bay, Fomm ir-Riħ)
Overall, 141.2kg of plastic litter was collected at sea, with the most common pollutants being bottles and bags, followed closely by plastic cups and plates. A substantial amount of microplastics, small plastic pieces less than five millimetres long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life, was additionally reported. In addition, the total weight did not include large items such as ta- bles and deckchairs which also were collected during the initiative. The Valletta port and harbours route proved to have the most plastic litter, roping in 36.286% of the total, followed by the northwest coast route with 32.911%.
“Living in Malta we share the greatest benefit of enjoying the crystal clear seas around us. But will it maintain its beauty and attraction for long if we do not see the damage of our own footprint and act responsibly to keep it clean and healthy for generations to come?” said Jesper Kärrbrink, CEO Mr Green Ltd. “While a clean-up of this nature is a step in the right direction, the results clearly show that steps need to be taken to stop plastic entering the sea in the first place, including improving enforcement of recycling and reducing consumption of plastic items like bottles and single use carrier bags.”
Sustainability practises constitute an integrated element of Mr Green’s business and comprise part of their fundamental values. Their sustainability practises are consolidated under the term The Green Way, which governs how they address environmental issues and personnelrelated matters, as well as regulatory compliance and ethical matters related to how business is conducted. To this effect, Mr Green is currently developing a new predictive tool whereby gaming patterns are analysed and risk behaviour can be detected early on. This tool will allow Mr Green to adapt their offering to a greater extent to customers’ risk behaviour.
Mr Green Ltd is an online gaming company that offers online casino, sportsbook and live casino in 12 countries. Mr Green is an award-winning casino operator, named IGA Operator of the Year three consecutive years 2013, 2014, 2015 and Mobile Operator of the Year 2016. Mr Green Ltd is a fully-owned subsidiary of the Swedish company Mr Green & Co. AB, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm main market since 2016.