A new broom

The new littering regulations will be introduced on a trial period next month, before coming into force on January 1. ARIADNE MASSA looks into whether the new law will bring about a clean sweep of litter bugs.

Stiffer fines and a better-equipped enforcement team should be the two remedies to cure Malta's littering "disease", Kevin Gatt, a consultant at the government Management Efficiency Unit, optimistically believes.

Littering regulations have long been in place but the rubbish and waste in streets and the countryside are ample proof that the law was never observed, and hardly enforced. What makes Mr Gatt believe the new rules will eradicate litter bugs?

"The previous Litter Act was not supported by a proper enforcement regime, which the new ones will benefit from; plus the fines have more than doubled," he pointed out.

Under the new regulations, which will come into force on January 1, the fine for littering, now Lm10, will shoot up to between Lm25 and Lm50. Fines for dumping will soar to between Lm1,000 and Lm2,500 from the current Lm500 - Lm1,000, and will double if the offence is committed close to monuments, heritage sites, parks or beaches.

Mr Gatt insisted that the fines were not some form of tax and expressed the hope that people would understand that the entire population will benefit from a cleaner island.

With just a few weeks to go before the system comes into place for a three-month trial period, Mr Gatt is hoping the information campaign will have the same success enjoyed by similar drives to wear the seat belt and the introduction of wardens, which led to more orderly parking.

About 40 wardens, who will also be working undercover, have been employed and the ones already within the force have undergone adequate training and are equipped with new updated software to register the offences.

The wardens' schedules will be devised by the local councils and the Malta Planning and Environment Authority in order to include both day and night time hours.

Ian Micallef, president of the Local Councils Association, that so far 48 local councils, out of a total of 68, had expressed interest in subscribing to the regulations but he was expecting more to join later this month.

So what happens if not all local councils subscribe? Does it mean people can get away with dumping and littering in such localities?

Mr Gatt said that provisions had been made in the regulations so that local councils that do not subscribe will have their areas patrolled by the government.

"In fact, the government has retained the right to patrol any area, even those falling within the jurisdiction of subscribing local councils. Notwithstanding, the ideal scenario would be for all councils to subscribe to the regulations," Dr Micallef said.

Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed to deter litter bugs but Mr Gatt said the locations where the equipment will be have not been identified yet. The focus will be mainly on historic areas and sites that are particularly prone to dumping.

"We have modified the regulations to make it possible for the wardens to enforce the law. We are also in the process of shifting through the submissions made for the litter bins' provision tender," he said.

The new litter bins - which should be equipped with special receptacles for the disposal of cigarette butts and dog waste, among others - should be installed as soon as the tender is adjudicated.

Mr Gatt admitted that the litter bins may not actually be in place by the time the law is introduced on a trial basis in October, due to manufacturing constraints. However, the temporary absence of appropriate litter bins was not a justification for littering.

"People's attitude has to change. People cannot just go and dump their unwanted furniture and white goods in the countryside, especially when the bulky refuse service is free and the material is collected from their doorstep," he said.

"The Cleansing Services Department has spent hundreds of thousands of liri (see box) on cleaning up the valleys and the island, money which could be spent on more worthwhile restoration and rehabilitation projects - people's irresponsible behaviour is depriving the rest of the population from embellishment projects."

Mr Gatt said it was disgusting to walk along promenades littered with catering and fast food receptacles and pavements marred with chewing gum and dog droppings.

"Let's take cigarette butts, for example. One may seem harmless but then the wind blows them all in the same place leading to a general sense of shabbiness," he said.

"Littering is a general malaise all across, not just in Malta, but since this is a small island the problem is amplified. Offenders' pockets will be hit but the money generated from the fines will be pumped into the environment," he explained.

Seventy per cent of the littering fines originating from wardens contracted by local councils will be distributed to the council and 30 per cent to the environment fund. In the case of dumping fines, the revenue will be split equally.

On the other hand, the local council will receive 20 per cent of litter fines originating from wardens contracted by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, Mepa will get 50 per cent and the environment fund the remaining 30 per cent.

With regard to dumping, the environment fund will get the bulk of the revenue with 50 per cent, Mepa 30 per cent and the council gets 20 per cent.

The disbursements from this fund will take place periodically and the councils can submit proposals for environmental projects on an annual basis.

"We are not claiming to have the perfect system. However, a monitoring committee is being set up to gauge how this system is working, determine its financial feasibility, receive feedback and tweak and change accordingly," he said.

What constitutes a littering offence?

Deposit, drop, place or throw any dust, dirt, paper, ash, cigarette butt, refuse, box, barrel or any other article or thing in any public place.

Keep or leave any article or thing in any place where it, or particles from, have passed, or are likely to pass, into any public place.

Throw or leave behind any bottle, can, food container, food wrapper, glass, particles of food or any other article or thing in any public place.

Beat, clean, shake, sieve or otherwise agitate any ash, hair, feather, lime, sand, waste paper or other substance in such manner that is carried, or likely to be carried, by the wind to any public place.

Spit any substance or expel mucus from the nose, or leave or deposit human material excretion, including vomit, or leave or deposit any animal material excretion upon or onto any street or any public place.

Place, scatter, spill or throw any blood, brine, noxious liquid, swill or any other offensive or filthy matter of any kind, including oil, fuel, and other fluid, in such a manner as to run or fall into any public place.

A sceptic public

If an online poll by The Times is anything to go by, than the public is extremely sceptical that the new littering regulations will be enforced, with a mere 23.5 per cent of respondents being confident that the arm of the law will stamp out litter bugs.

The online poll may not be scientific but it must at least be indicative of the general mood.

The majority, 76.5 per cent, believe that littering is such an ingrained habit that no amount of fines will change people's attitude. Coupled with this was the fact that enforcement was not exactly Malta's strong point, respondents pointed out.

A total of 2,149 votes were logged in the seven-day period that the question "Are you confident the new littering regulations will be enforced?" was posted on the website.

The following are just a few of the comments made by respondents:

So many regulations are not enforced - such as hunting, smoking and non-obstruction of beaches - why should these be any different?

What is needed is not enforcing the regulations but educating the public in the first place.

Of course they will be enforced... ready, easy money. May I suggest that a warden pay a visit to Agostino Matrenza Street, in San Gwann? The entire street is a litter bin.

Same old story. Just like the smoking ban in public places. Go for a drink in a bar right now and see if anyone is enforcing he law. This country is a such a mess, lots of laws and no one to enforce them.

Of course they will be enforced. The government has finally woke up to the idea of generating income through wardens and speed cameras. The latest project is fining litter bugs, which is essentially a good thing but I hope the wardens will be there to educate people and not to just generate revenue.

The regulations may be enforced but the local bullies will get away with it. By local bullies I mean those who always seem to escape the long arm of the law, such as contractors and others who build without a permit and nothing is done to stop them.

Sadly, I don't believe that any new regulations on litter will make much of a difference in Malta. Nobody seems to care how dirty it is outside their door.

People who litter are ignorant; ignorant people are usually aggressive; aggressive people are dangerous; dangerous people are feared; therefore the wardens will let them be.

As a Maltese citizen living in the UK, I am increasingly shocked at the amount of litter that is evident on the streets. I recently took my wife to Malta for the first time and we were both shocked and saddened by the rubbish people had dumped without regard.

The cost of illegal dumping

People's irresponsible attitude of dumping and littering without giving their actions a second thought has cost taxpayers Lm50,000, which went into collecting the 1,600 tonnes of waste dumped illegally in August alone.

Workers within the Cleansing Services Department have collected this waste from valleys, arterial roads and industrial estates. This amount is three times the illegal dumping in August 2004.

A spokesman for the Infrastructure Ministry said that in the first eight months of this year the department spent Lm340,000 to collect the 11,200 tonnes of waste illegally scattered across the island.

Last year a total of Lm500,000 was spent on collecting 16,000 tonnes - before the year is out the department will have spent nearly Lm1 million in two years on illegal dumping.

Minister Ninu Zammit said this money could have been used in embellishment projects rather than cleansing operations.

Mr Zammit said that tonnes of illegally dumped waste had been collected from Wied l-Isqof and Wied il-Hemsija in Rabat, Bingemma Valley in Mgarr, Wied Qannotta in Wardija and Wied Irmiedi in Attard - Lm340,000 is the equivalent of half the cost of the paving of Mdina.

Paceville is another magnet for litter bugs and every Sunday morning three tonnes of rubbish is collected - not from dustbins but from the ground!

In an attempt to help curb the problem a freephone number (80076608) and e-mail (customercare.

cleansing@gov.mt) were introduced last year to report cases of illegal dumping.

Irked citizens are making use of this service and last month a record 162 cases were reported; 82 of which were referred to local councils.

Despite the shocking amount of waste dumped illegally each month it is encouraging to note that there are law-abiding citizens who do make use of the free bulky refuse service provided by local councils.

Statistics from the 23 localities who use the facilities of the Cleansing Services Department show that between January and July, 15,093 calls were made to collect a total of 37,716 items. These included: 13,393 glass and other items; 7,796 wood and furniture items; 6,636 white goods; 4,495 metal products; 3,125 mattresses; 1,149 sofas and 1,122 computers and television sets.

Number of fines by wardens

Contravention 2004 2005 (to date)
Vehicles emitting grit and smoke 176 67
Dog fouling 8 4
Failed to properly cover loose material deposited in street 42 37
Failed to ensure allocated place was left clean 3 2
Flowing offensive material that may render streets greasy/slippery 45 12
Loose material not adequately covered - 39
Littering including dumping 57 47
Spitting 1 2
Spilling of concrete 7 1
Throwing filthy refuse onto street 8 2
Urinating in public 5 3