Are You Paying Attention?
INFO [what will be done]
Description:
Are You Paying Attention? is a behavioural observation and awareness-raising campaign developed by MARE Foundation for the European Week for Waste Reduction 2026, under the theme Material Sufficiency.
The project explores what everyday waste reveals about our consumption habits, how it accumulates in public spaces and what can be changed to prevent it at source.
In the weeks leading up to EWWR, the MARE team has been observing six Trace Points along everyday routes in St Julian’s and Mosta. Four locations were initially cleaned and marked, while two were deliberately left untouched as points of comparison. Through weekly visits, photographic documentation, waste classification, weighing and weather records, we monitor what returns, how quickly it accumulates and what these traces can tell us about local consumption patterns and behaviour. Cleaning is therefore part of the observation process, not the purpose of the action.
Public participation takes place through observation, conversation and reflection, rather than waste collection. This includes street interviews, an anonymous online survey, an in-depth conversation with a retired government sustainability consultant, a meeting with the Mayor of St Julian’s and participation in Malta’s third Sustainable Development Multi-Stakeholder Forum.
The wider community is also invited to engage through our Instagram campaign, sharing what they notice when they pay attention and look again, tagging @marefoundation_malta and using #IAmPayingAttention and #IAmLookingAgain.
During EWWR week (21–29 November), we will focus on sharing the process, findings and emerging proposals through daily online publications on Instagram and Facebook. No further collections or public events are planned during this period. Each publication will explore what the observations and conversations have revealed, inviting people to rethink everyday consumption and consider how waste can be reduced at source.
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Related actions
LA MERENDA CONDIVISA.” Sana ecologica e solidale”.