Patricia Bannon obviously loves Malta and wants the best for it (Rope In Residents To Clean Up Malta, October 10). What she should also have mentioned was that the bulk of the rubbish created in the tourist areas is produced by the tourist operators themselves.

Lately the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association mentioned cleanliness as a priority in one of its press releases. It insisted with the government that Malta should be brought up to scratch and particularly the tourist areas should be kept clean at all times. The MHRA should first of all demand from its own members and other tourist operators that they themselves set an example and keep the area where they operate clean. They are probably the main culprits of the lack of cleanliness in the tourist areas.

The above photo shows a mound of rubbish left by tourist operators at the Ferries in Sliema. This is the mecca of all Maltese tourism and every tourist at one time or another passes through this area. The rubbish mounds are a daily occurrence and at times are not only left overnight but also well into the day.

Where are the environmental wardens who are supposed to give tickets to those who throw a cigarette butt on the ground? This is enormously more unsightly than a cigarette butt. The fact that these rubbish mounds continue to appear only shows that nothing is being done about this.