Catching the perpetrators once the waste has already been dumped is practically impossible.

The St Paul’s Bay council was being forced to remove the bulky refuse that was dumped illegally by residents, said mayor Graziella Galea.

She noted that, despite the council offering free bulky refuse collection, many were still resorting to simply disposing of waste by placing it on the pavement.

To make matters worse, some were even dumping unwanted goods outside neighbours’ doors, away from their own homes.

READ: Litter is a perpetual problem in St Paul's Bay

“We have to deal with this every day. We offer free services, setting up appointments with residents so that trucks can pick up their bulky refuse, and still, many resort to these practices,” she said.

The problem escalates in the summer months, when the St Paul’s Bay population peaks due to many families moving to the seaside village.

We’ve had people take so much waste outdoors it seemed everything inside their flat was dumped outside

Ms Galea noted that the practice not only added unnecessary hassle, as the council had to verify the items being picked up by the trucks, but it also made the area look shabby.

“We’ve had people take so much bulky waste outdoors it seemed as though everything inside their flat was dumped outside.

“The service we offer is free, and we pick up the items ourselves, so there can be no reason whatsoever that they do not make use of it,” Ms Galea added.

READ: St Paul's Bay mayor wants the government to help clean up

Though the council made it a point to remove discarded items even if the residents had not asked for the service, Ms Galea insisted more enforcement was definitely needed, because catching the perpetrators once the waste had already been dumped was practically impossible.

“How are we supposed to find out who dumped the items? It’s impossible. We definitely need more enforcement by the government, because we cannot do all that at council level,” Ms Galea said.

She pointed out that although the council was informed that some people caught dumping waste outside had in fact been fined, this seemed to be having little effect, as more people were resorting to illegal dumping than ever before.

“We have had to get in touch with the Cleansing Department, asking for help, because we need assistance. We just cannot cope,” Ms Galea added.

The locality has long faced litter problems and even had to ask the government to help with the cleanup.

Ms Galea said general upkeep of the locality cost the council about €500,000 a year and that included a daily rubbish collection service, including over the weekend and on public holidays.

About another €1,400 is spent daily on cleansing services across the locality.