Second waste collection service

The numerous rubbish bags and boxes that lined the lower part of St George's Street, in Paceville on Wednesday had been dumped by entertainment establishments, even though they were supposed to dispose of their own rubbish, St Julians mayor Peter Bonello said yesterday.

Reacting to an item in The Times, he said that although the local council was only obliged to collect residents' garbage, a second waste collection service, paid for by the council and the Malta Tourism Authority, has just been started. Entertainment spots have their own contractors to take care of their rubbish, he said.

"We are doing our best to increase the cleanliness in the area but the council's budget is limited," he said.

Mr Bonello said the council had approved a by-law to prohibit people from walking the streets carrying bottles and glasses, a practice common at Spinola Palace Garden which is invariably littered with broken glass. The garden is to be upgraded, he said.