Smelly, foamy slime caused by fish farm feed is not the only headache St Paul’s Bay residents have to deal with.
The locality, popular with tourists and locals, especially those with a vacation house there, appears to have a perpetual litter problem.
Rubbish bags line the streets from the early morning hours and, sometimes, through the afternoon, with litter being swept along the streets when the wind picks up.
Waste collection is a problem in the area, with bags at times being collected as late as 3pm in Xemxija, despite residents being asked to prepare them for collection in the morning.
Uncollected rubbish bags not only give the place a shabby look but are also an obstruction to people walking on the pavement.
Some residents appear to derive particular pleasure in dumping waste, ignoring warnings by the St Paul’s Bay local council that those doing so will be prosecuted, fined up to €1,164.69 and have their vehicle confiscated.
Dozens of tins, plastic containers, cigarette butts, glass bottles and batteries were among 120 kilos of rubbish collected in 1sqkm
Meanwhile, residents have also complained of a lack of general upkeep at popular spots in the locality. Janice Campbell said in a letter to this newspaper last week that she only saw one road sweeper in five weeks. “Buġibba is filthy. I walk daily from the Gillieru to the Sunny Coast Hotel in Qawra, and the pavements are an absolute disgrace, apart from the general filth and foul smells,” she said.
Dog owners need to do their bit, too.
In another letter, Proinsias Mac Iomhair questioned why the law was not being enforced despite the continuous dog fouling on the roads and promenade of St Paul’s Bay.
An effort needs to be made by both residents and visitors to ensure rubbish goes in the bin, not on the ground. In June, dozens of tins, plastic containers, cigarette butts, glass bottles and batteries were among the 120 kilos of rubbish 30 French residents collected from just one square kilo-metre in St Paul’s Bay. The clean-up was co-organised by Le Petit Maltais and Malte Accueil and supported by Nature Trust Malta.
When contacted, mayor Graziella Galea appealed to people to do their part for a cleaner locality, and to take out the garbage at the established collection times.
Domestic refuse is collected seven days a week, and the local council, she said, uses one of its vehicles to collect bulky refuse dumped illegally by “irresponsible people”.
As for the promenade, besides the regular rubbish collection, the government Cleansing Department goes around twice daily to collect other material that is dumped irresponsibly, she added.