St Paul’s Bay council adopts plan to fight litter louts plaguing locality

Community officers have been deployed in St Paul’s Bay to tackle litter offences as the council embarks on a fight to bring the waste situation under control.

The measure is one of several the new council has adopted over the past couple of weeks as it placed waste control a top priority.

The locality was at the centre of controversy after numerous reports from angry residents who complained about waste that was left on the kerbside for days and other spots where litter louts dumped garbage illegally.

READ ALSO: Month-old uncollected garbage attracting scores of rats in St Paul's Bay

The new council took office earlier this month after May’s local election saw the Labour Party win a majority.

The council said in a statement on Monday that areas where skips are located started being cleaned every day and more frequent collection of glass and recyclable waste was introduced.

A pilot project was introduced for the collection of carton boxes from commercial outlets every Monday and Thursday.

“It is encouraging to note, that the seven measures adopted by the council during the last couple of weeks have given significant results, as the locality has witnessed a substantial reduction in reported cases, both at council level and in the media. This happened, during the same period when several thousands of Maltese citizens started spending their summer holidays in our locality. Nevertheless, encouraging as much as it may be, still and by far, these results are not considered by the council as a victory,” the statement said.

Signs in several languages to outline litter offences

The council has adopted a 22-point plan for further action, including the posting of signs written in several languages that will be fixed in hot spot areas advising about litter offences.

The plan also envisages that all shops will be required to have a bin for use by customers and those that sell food and drinks will also have to provide a container for cigarettes.

The council wants greater enforcement of the law obliging catering establishments to have a private waste collector.

READ ALSO: St Paul's Bay residents launch petition demanding better locality

Waste containers around the locality will be increased and the council will commission a survey to identify the properties that have adequate space in which to put waste bins.

The council also wants a “drastic increase” in the number of community officers and the time they spend in the locality.

The council said it had reached an agreement with the Tourism Ministry so that the locality would benefit from the service of an official who will coordinate works related to cleansing services.

Sites around the locality will be identified where to place “underground waste containers” and CCTV will be used in key areas to monitor the situation.

Waste collection contractors will be obliged to install Wi-Fi operated CCTVs at the rear of each vehicle in order to provide an accurate picture of what was left behind in every street.