Juan Ameen
Bid to clear 'eyesores' in countryside by April
Around 4,000 discarded vehicles to be recycled
Eyesores such as bulky metal objects and abandoned cars littering the roads and countryside will soon start being exported for recycling.
With the help of the local councils and the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said is determined to clean up the streets and countryside from bulky metal objects such as abandoned cars, containers or illegal scrap heap by April.
A task force set up between Mepa, the police and the wardens, estimated there were some 4,000 unused vehicles and cumbersome metal items abandoned in the roads and the countryside.
The campaign, which started in the second week of November, was already hailed a success by residents and councils.
However, Dr Said pointed out that the campaign did not only target vehicles abandoned in public places, but included huge metal items, such as boats or containers.
Councils were informing Dr Said's secretariat of any abandoned vehicles in their locality, and this information is then passed on to Mepa enforcement officers who attach warnings on the items.
The warnings inform owners that the abandoned object has to be removed within 16 days. If it is not removed, it will be confiscated and sent abroad for recycling.
The campaign was first tested in three localities: Xgħajra, Żurrieq and Mellieħa.
After three weeks, around 60 per cent of the scrap metal was cleaned up. Following 31 warnings issued in Żurrieq, 23 sites were cleaned. Similarly, in Mellieħa, 28 out of 53 sites were cleaned.
Dr Said said that three councils reported back that the residents were extremely satisfied with the results. Following the success of the pilot project, another six councils have been included: Nadur, Qala, St Paul's Bay, Mġarr, Safi and Qrendi.
Dr Said explained that the scrap, which has not yet been collected, will be confiscated and exported for recycling in the first week of January - a call for expressions of interest to export the scrap has been issued. Interested bidders must have the required licence to export scrap metal for recycling.
"By April, we aim to clean all Malta and Gozo of all the eyesores lying around," said Dr Said.
He appealed to the public to report any abandoned large metal items to their councils. Owners who wish to dispose of bulky metal objects can do so by calling 2360 5000 or 8007 6608.
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Charles Sammut
Dec 29th 2008, 08:15
No doubt this is a laudible exercise. The question is why was it not undertaken before?
To a certain extent part of this scrap junk is picked up by private individuals to be sold as scrap. Were it not for this private initiative we would have been buried in discarded appliances long ago.
Now how about a push to improve the road surface in the countryside? Driving along most country roads is a back and car breaking exercise.
joe attard
Dec 28th 2008, 17:51
Oh does this mean that those heavy vehicles allways dangerously parked and blocking half the road as you are entering Nadur from Victoria ( triq ta hamet) will be cleared too,some of them no reflectors making them very dangerous at night-time,Dr Said knows about them very well.
James A. Tyrrell
Dec 28th 2008, 16:43
Great news. Does this mean that the monstrosity at Dwejra will at long last be torn down and re-cycled, or are the authorities still working on the principle that if they leave it long enough people will forget and work can re-commence?
J Azzopardi
Dec 28th 2008, 16:39
One way to recycle metal objects is to use them to build artificial reefs offshore after thoroughly cleaning them from any toxic or polluting material. This mode of recycling is used overseas. Recently a number of old railway carriages were sunk to build an artificial reef.
Albert Bezzina
Dec 28th 2008, 15:03
I applaud the work being done to clear the rubbish. May I suggest some high tech solutions to actually apprehend countryside litter louts. Night vision surveillance equipment with long focal length lenses can easily overlook a 4 square km area from one vantage point. One has to amend the law, as currently video footage of illegal acts, especially during a stakeout, could be branded as entrapment and the perpetrators let loose.
May I also suggest that road vehicles and old machinery be screened for historic value before scrapped.
lgalea
Dec 28th 2008, 12:53
During the Labour Administration all oil tanks that we see instead of rubble walls in fields were being eliminated by notifying and giving the field owners a time within which they had to be removed.
This was stopped by EFApn and Gonzipn because it was a Labour initiative.
Mr B J Simmons
Dec 28th 2008, 11:20
This is something that should have been done years ago. Had this been the case, the authorities may have got a decent price for the scrap too, unlike now!
Malta is a beautiful country, but some inhabitants treat it like a tip. It happens here in the UK too.
What is needed is an ongoing clearance, not just a one off, otherwise other items will soon appear, in this throw away society.
Does Malta need more sites where waste can be taken by the public?
Does Malta have a collection service, by councils, (maybe at a small cost) for bulky household items like fridges and furniture?
Does Malta have swingeing penalties for those caught dumping and are there prosecutions in such circumstances?
Is it a priority for local councils? If not, why not?
You have a small lovely Island. It would be so easy to keep it tidy. I just wish it would be as easy to tidy up the UK!
Kenneth Galea
Dec 28th 2008, 11:10
It makes sense that this delicate work is carried out during the winter months when the sun is not shining relentlessly. Congratulations to Mr Said for his actions and instructions to clean up Malta. Enviroment has always been a sensitive subject in Malta and with this worldwide economic downturn it is vital that we make Malta less of an eye sore to the tourists.
RJ Muscat
Dec 28th 2008, 11:09
Is Dr Said a new breed within the Maltese political scene? He has his work cut out but long may he retain his job, so far carried out with gusto and assertiveness.