The skip in Triq il-Qasab in which the man tried to put a transparent bag of rubbish.

Plainclothes wardens have taken the interpretation of a bylaw to a new level by fining a man for disposing of his domestic waste in a transparent plastic bag rather than a black one, Times of Malta has learnt.

The man is contesting the €46.59 fine he was slapped with by a plainclothes warden who accused him of disposing waste in a green skip in a bag that was not among those approved by the Birkirkara council.

But council mayor Joanne Debono Grech knew of no such provision in the law, adding that wardens ought to be taught the law.

Insisting on not being named, the man, 28, told Times of Malta he received the fine at 7.01am on Tuesday last week as he was about to throw the rubbish in the green skip, down the road from his house in Triq il-Qasab in Birkirkara.

He said he was approached by two plainclothes wardens who had been sitting in a warden’s car waiting until someone approached the skips, adjacent to a bring-in site.

“They pointed at the rubbish bag I was carrying and said I was not allowed to dispose of domestic waste in a transparent bag, which I was given at the grocer a day earlier when I bought milk and bread.

“They said the bag had to be a black one. I was astounded and could not believe it because this was the first time I was hearing something of the sort,” he said.

He added that he and his wife usually used similar bags on other days when the garbage truck passed by to collect domestic waste – their bag was never left behind.

But since it was a Tuesday, which along with Thursday was recycling collection day in Birkirkara, he passed by the skip to dispose of the rubbish.

He intended contesting the fine which he described as “nonsensical”, especially since no one ever told them about this law, if it existed at all, and there were no signs to this effect close to the skips.

When contacted, the mayor said she would immediately speak to the warden company “since this is becoming too much”.

She was referring to an incident that took place in April when a Fgura man was fined €46 for disposing of his in-laws’ garbage bag in a skip that according to the warden was to be used by Birkirkara residents only.

“I would understand and agree with the fine if the residents disposed of domestic waste in the bags we provide for recyclable waste but I cannot understand this one.

“I’m going to take it up with the warden company. If need be, we educate wardens on these issues. We’re going from one extreme to another,” she said.