New crackdown on dumping and littering

The police, MEPA and local wardens have embarked on a crackdown on littering and dumping as part of a 10-day pilot project to enforce regulations and keep the streets clean.

The exercise is being headed by Chris Said, Parliamentary Secretary for Public Dialogue and Information.

The exercise is intended to be the start of a permanent system of enforcement. More details on this permanent system will be announced at a later stage by the secretariat.

The crackdown which started today will see police, local wardens and MEPA officials working together to come down strongly on those found violating cleanliness regulations, by handing out fines to offenders.

A spokesman for the parliamentary secretariat said that MEPA enforcement officers would be working day and night in both rural and urban areas in an attempt to catch offenders red-handed, especially when it comes to illegal dumping.

Local councils are participating in the project by supplying their wardens for the jobs. The councils were given until Wednesday to inform the secretariat of problem areas in each locality so that these zones could be targeted first.

The exercise will also include ongoing monitoring in areas all over Malta and Gozo.

The secretariat is currently involved in the Local Councils reform process, where cleanliness and upkeep of towns and villages have featured prominently in the consultation process.