On Monday, 24 August, Friends of the Earth Malta organised an awareness-raising event, in collaboration with MTA and the Blue Flag Programme for beaches, for the 1st Qormi Scout Group at Golden Bay (Ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa). The event aimed to introduce young participants to marine pollution, raise awareness on the importance of protecting Malta’s coastal and marine environment, and encourage them to take an active role in tackling plastic pollution.

Alexia Massa Gallucci, marine biologist from Blue Eco Tech, gave an engaging presentation on marine ecosystems. She guided the group towards different types of seaweed and seagrasses, with a particular focus on Posidonia oceanica – the Neptune Seagrass which we know locally as Alka, an endemic seagrass of the Mediterranean. The scouts learned about the important role Posidonia meadows play in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems both above and underwater. You can read more about this special seagrass here.

Denise Muscat, a teacher and author, also introduced her book, Meta r-Ramel sar Blu, which tells the story of a sea turtle and human impacts. The presentation provided an opportunity to discuss turtle nesting and the return of sea turtles to Maltese beaches after many years of absence, highlighting the importance of protecting these beaches from light pollution, other human impacts and preserving suitable nesting habitats for their return.

The educational session was followed by a beach litter awareness activity facilitated by Annalise Falzon which led to a nurdle hunt at Golden Bay, giving the scouts the opportunity to put what they had learned into practice and set out on a very enthusiastic search!

But what exactly are nurdles?

Nurdles are small plastic pellets, about the size of a lentil. Billions are used each year to produce nearly all our plastic products, but many end up washing up on our shores. Despite their tiny size, nurdles are a significant source of plastic pollution. Once released into the environment, they can be transported by wind and water and are extremely difficult to remove from beaches and the marine environment.

Friends of the Earth Malta has been actively involved in raising awareness about nurdle pollution and has already organised several nurdle hunts in Malta. Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa Bay are among the beaches where significant quantities of nurdles can be found! 

During the event, the scouts collected more than 300 nurdles in just 20 minutes, within a relatively small area of the beach. This simple exercise highlighted the scale of the problem! These observations were inputted into The Great Nurdle Hunt app. It is a global citizen science tool which engages communities worldwide to contribute to data.   

The activity was an opportunity for the scouts to better understand the importance of protecting our shores and the marine ecosystem! The group was further encouraged to share the Save Our Shores petition with families and friends. You too can sign it here: https://saveourshores.eu/petition/ 

This event was supported by the Malta Tourism Authority. Thanks also go to the Mellieħa Local Council and to Majjistral National Park for supporting this activity.

This year The Great Global Nurdle Hunt will take place from the 4th September – 4th October 2026.  Learn more about nurdle pollution and how to plan your own Nurdle Hunt: Nurdle Hunt