The domestic waste scheme outlined by the Environment Minister will suffer from more than teething troubles as it is clearly unworkable.

The average person is unable to see personal benefit from recycling his/her waste and, lacking an understanding of civic duty, often considers it too much trouble. There is a huge educational task here. I believe that most, if not all, of our schools and many youth groups have a very positive input but how effective is this if the child then goes home to parents who just do not care? The problem of educating the adult population is not being addressed.

The minister is aware of this, hence, his references to enforcement. Why should this be effective? Evidence from other areas supports the view that ‘we don’t do enforcement’. Will our ‘rebranded’ wardens change this?

Waste lying around on pavements or hooked up to posts is asking for violation by cats and other animals, it is unhygienic and visually objectionable. To mitigate this we have the four-hour rule. Unfortunately, nobody has told animals they are not allowed to touch white bags until they have been out for more than four hours. Every weekend, many visit Gozo and stay in private rented accommodation and many leave on Sunday afternoon or evening, unable to obey the four-hour rule. How many take their rubbish home with them?

Local Councils Association president Mario Fava wants to ensure foreign visitors are caught by spot fines although they often have fixed departure dates and times that could clash with the four-hour rule. His xenophobic attitude will upset tourists, many of whom come from countries with far more advanced attitudes towards recycling and are more likely to take their responsibilities seriously, as they do at home.

I don’t know of any country that has completely cracked this problem but many are far further down the road than Malta. Why not learn from the most successful? Many of the best schemes involve local authorities providing each household with a set of containers including one for organic waste with a lockable lid. The scheme is self-policing, no bin, no collection, although the bins are numbered and the council keeps a record. No need for a four-hour rule, it’s fine to put the bins out the night before.

Above all, the system must be easier to understand and operate than at present.

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