The Preziosi Garden, in Floriana, used to be swept on Saturdays or Sundays by a young man with a broom.

A few weeks ago, somebody decided to supply this young man with a leaf blower. This was a bad idea for the following reasons:

The leaf blower causes a lot of pollution by blowing the dust on the ground metres high up into the air and redepositing it far away on the (parked) cars and on the pedestrians in the street and the garden.

More pollution and an increased carbon footprint is caused by the exhaust gases from the blower.

The blower makes a lot of noise, disturbing the scarce peace and quiet in this loud country of ours and doing so during the weekend.

The only discernible reason for the change is that the young man finishes his job quicker and can therefore be sent home sooner and be paid less. However, it is quite likely that these savings will be offset by the fuel cost, maintenance cost and depreciation of the blower to which we may have to add increased welfare payments to the young sweeper.

In short, there are many negative consequences and hardly, if any, positive ones of this action.

Therefore, I suggest the decision is reversed and the young man allowed to sweep in an environmentally friendly way.