Garbage left behind following wedding at Red Tower cleared at organisers’ expense

What was supposed to be a couple’s most special day turned out to be the source of widespread anger this week, after a pile of garbage was left behind at Mellieħa’s historic Red Tower more than 24 hours after the wedding.  

The wedding in question was lavish and grand, as MaltaToday understands that the db Group’s David Debono was the groom. No expenses were spared, except maybe for the cleaning of the historic venue which borders a Natura 2000 site. 

On Monday, environmental NGO, Malta Ranger Unit (MRU) reported the mess left behind to the police, after they further filed three reports to the Environmental Resources Authority (ERA).  

The MRU noted that the law clearly states that following such an event, litter is to be collected 24 hours following the event. Footage and photos published by the MRU show the area remains covered in garbage bags, food, napkins and various forms of equipment, as the NGO noted that the stench from the food left in the sun was horrendous.  

This caused widespread outrage given the state of such a historic and ecologically sensitive site. Many also noted that the garbage could have caused wildfires in light of the warm weather and dry conditions in the area. 

Following this, the groom assured this newspaper that the wedding was covered with all relative permits, adding that the permits, “included that the place is cleared and cleaned within an established period…”

“It is normal for such a clearing and cleaning operation to take some time but we are committed to return the site in the possible condition,” Debono concluded. 

After MaltaToday’s report, parliamentary secretary for cleansing Glenn Bedingfield announced that officials from the Cleansing and Maintenance Division went to the site to clean the area up, “despite the fact that this should have been done by someone else.”

In another twist, the db Group stated that when the Cleansing Division arrived, their contractors were in the middle of cleaning up. “No one asked the Cleansing Department personnel to get involved in the clean-up and in fact they spent less than 5 minutes on site,” a spokesperson clarified. 

When asked by MaltaToday whether the event’s organisers had been handed a bill for collecting the trash, Bedingfield responded, “The Division was not employed by the organisers, as it acted on media reports we had seen.”

He concluded by calling for responsibility.

Following the public outrage, the spotlight was also shining on another environmental NGO, Din l-Art Ħelwa who was awarded guardianship of the historic site in 2003.

In its statement, the NGO said that it will, “ensure that the site and surrounding areas will be completely cleaned up of all debris and litter and put back to its original state at the organiser’s expense.”

Din l-Art Ħelwa further assured the public that it will scrutinise the conditions for future events more carefully, “to ensure that these can be met and that they satisfy other environmental concerns which have since surfaced.”