Go for the big fish, green wardens told

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino yesterday urged wardens to use their discretion in the enforcement of littering and dumping regulations, which are soon to come into force.

Speaking to the so-called green wardens, Mr Pullicino said that although the law contemplated a Lm25 fine for throwing cigarette butts to the ground, the wardens should mainly focus on the "bigger problems".

"Don't go for the small fry but look for the big fish," Mr Pullicino said.

He was sure the wardens would be unable to book every litter bug around but he was convinced they would make a difference.

Some wardens will be in plain clothes and others uniformed. Local councils will commission them to patrol urban areas while the Malta Environment and Planning Authority will take them on to monitor the countryside.

However, the central government has reserved the right to send the wardens to towns and villages when the councils fail to engage them.

Between October and December, wardens will be issuing warnings instead of citations, although the warnings will be logged and used against repeat offenders. Charges would be issued as from January.

A monitoring committee will gauge the effectiveness of the system.