Good and bad practices

The items in the daily column of Half a Century/Century Ago, make very interesting reading.

I will make special reference to the news item Good And Bad Practices in the Daily Malta Chronicle of a century ago (September 7) in which a correspondent describes how people used to get rid of their rubbish (be it broken glass or rejected vegetables) by throwing same into the street. The correspondent suggested that waste bins made of zinc and regularly emptied and purified should be placed in poorer streets and in densely populated quarters.

One wonders what this gentleman would say had he been living in Malta today.

The central government and the local councils are doing their best to keep Malta clean by teaching the people how to keep their surroundings clean and clear of illegal waste disposal. Unfortunately, there are those who feel more comfortable disposing of their garbage and unnecessary stuff, where they please and deem fit.

A typical site worth noting is the corner Anglu Gatt/Ponsomby Street, Mosta. In this particular corner, residents are spoilt for choice. At one time there was a mattress, a bedside table, a child's buggy, a flowered bedspread, a chair and other household goods which will take a long list to compile. Not to mention plastic bags with litter which offer a lavish breakfast, lunch or dinner to stray cats and dogs (sometimes also rats). This area (or rather this dumping site in otherwise well kept surroundings) is cleared every morning by the scammel but, it seems, not everybody appreciates this service.

During the heavy rainfall which fell in the evening of September 8, one could see small garbage bags floating in the rain water and obviously broken by passing cars. These garbage bags formed part of the dumping site referred to and were seen there about an hour after the scammel passed on Tuesday morning.

For how long do residents have to comply with this awkward situation? Is it possible that no one knows from where all this rubbish originates?