I thank Astrid Cassar for her comments (The Sunday Times, October 26), but I beg to differ.

Ms Cassar says that when she entered Valletta after the Michael Bolton concert, she was greeted by filth and huge amounts of litter. This is not surprising, when considering that she probably arrived in Valletta around 1 a.m. when the Notte Bianca events were still going on.

In some areas of Valletta, it was already difficult for people to pass so I simply cannot imagine sweepers with garbage bags squeezing themselves through the crowds (apart from the fact that it is not hygienic).

Ms Cassar seems to justify the waste on every wall, window ledges, etc. When I pass through various international airports, there are hardly any bins in sight for security reasons; so should I start dumping litter on the floor? I do not think so and I think each and every one of us should start being responsible for keeping the place tidy.

Ms Cassar mentions Lourdes and Disney World, which I have visited. In Lourdes I have never seen people munching burgers or pizza and sipping drinks inside the sanctuary.

In Disney World, I have never seen sweepers dragging garbage bags through the crowds while the main parade is going on.

So I don't think these events are comparable.

As regards the music, the shows were planned ahead with the organisers to ensure that soft music was played in the late hours.

We must still keep in mind that this is a White Night and not a White Evening.

It is only natural that you find people still around in the early hours of the morning; after all, that was the whole purpose of the event.

I assure Ms Cassar that if we can improve things next year, we shall.

But for this year, I think we owe a big thank you to the various stakeholders and in particular our cleansing contractor together with the public cleansing department who managed to get the city back in mint condition before sunrise.