4,200 tons of waste removed in six months

The Public Cleansing Department is working overtime to try and cope with what is turning out to be the "worst ever" summer for dumping.

The Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure yesterday expressed its frustration at what seemed to be a nationwide effort to turn the island into one big landfill.

All kinds of rubbish, from cigarette packets to beer bottles to industrial material, was being blatantly dumped everywhere, from valleys to industrial estates to main road arteries.

Statistics obtained from the ministry show that about 4,200 tons of waste were removed from various sites between January and June.

Other amounts of illegally dumped material are collected on a daily basis, according to Melvyn Mangion, communications coordinator at the ministry.

He said workers were collecting a pick-up truck full of rubbish from the centre strips in the stretch of road from the Super 1 complex in Marsa to Castille in Valletta - on a daily basis.

Workers were being faced with a situation where they had to clean up areas which would have been cleared only a week earlier, the spokesman pointed out.

A recent clean-up at Rinella was in vain as the area was reduced to a mound of rubble just days later. The items dumped included toilets and tiles!

One of the worst instances took place in the busy December 13 Road, in Marsa, where somebody had the cheek to dump a whole bedroom suite.

"We've just cleaned up a number of valleys - such as Wied il-Kbir in Qormi and Burmarrad; I wouldn't be surprised if they are targeted within days," Mr Mangion said.

The service for the collection of bulky waste from households is being provided free of charge, yet many seem to find it more convenient to dump their unnecessary belongings by the roadside or in some field.

Mr Mangion said that educational campaigns have clearly not led to less littering.

"The laws are outdated and enforcement is ineffective. Illegal dumping is a national pastime. A complete change of policies, procedures and attitudes is required," he said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has promised a crackdown on litter louts saying the government would be drawing up a series of stiff penalties.

The Littering Act has various loopholes which make it difficult to take action against someone littering. For example, any eyewitnesses to the offence would have to testify in court in order for an offender to be penalised.