App sends cleansing division over 120 requests a month to clean up Maltese towns

The government’s Cleansing and Maintenance Division is receiving up to 120 suggestions a month through an app designed to encourage the public to report areas in need of attention.

The app, Upkeep and Clean, allows users to take photos with their mobile phone and to send them, complete with a GPS location and message, to the division.

Upkeep and Clean is one of at least 35 government apps, and although launched three years ago in 2015, is still useful for citizens to make authorities aware of necessary infrastructural maintenance or cleaning of public areas.

Speaking to MaltaToday, the division’s Director General Ramon Deguara said the number of reports received had increased from roughly 90 suggestions a month to 120 over the last years.

Deguara said that the messages received were mainly photos of illegal dumping and dead animals being discarded in the countryside.

Users can choose to request cleaning or upkeep of areas around Malta and Gozo. The app offers users several categories for their requests ranging from the cleaning of beaches or public conveniences to the emptying of litter bins, and maintenance work on pavements and road signs.

Asked whether the division responded to all suggestions, Deguara said that as happens with all requests, including those received by phone, upon receipt division workers are sent to inspect the site within 48 hours.

He said that upon sending in a request, a user would first receive an acknowledgment before receiving a final update once the case has been closed.

Deguara said that the app was a significant improvement over phone suggestions because of the fact that each photo was sent with an exact GPS location, allowing the cleaners and maintenance workers to address the issue within a shorter period of time.