Litter bugs to face fines of up to Lm50

People in the habit of flicking their cigarette butts into the street will have to think twice about it as from next year: If caught they will be slapped with a fine of up to Lm50, as the government embarks on a serious clampdown on littering and dumping.

Under new regulations coming into force next January, the fine for littering, now Lm10, will shoot up to between Lm25 to Lm50 - and undercover wardens will be on patrol ready to pounce on offenders.

The fines for dumping will soar to between Lm1,000 and Lm2,500 from the current Lm500 to Lm1,000, and will double if the offence is committed close to monuments, heritage sites, parks or beaches.

These measures were announced yesterday during a press conference by Environment Minister George Pullicino who described littering as a "disease" that had to be eradicated once and for all.

Illegal dumping was an egoistic act against every citizen, he said, because the government had to fork out Lm200,000 of taxpayers' money to collect the 7,000 tons of waste strewn across the islands in the first five months of this year.

Last year another Lm500,000 were spent on clearing up the 16,000 tons of illegally dumped waste, money that could have been spent on embellishment projects.

"Littering and dumping are never justified and any waste should be disposed of responsibly - these fines should serve as a deterrent," Mr Pullicino said.

A number of new litter bins will be based on the concept of waste separation while the government is working to have civic amenities, where separated waste can be collected, up and running by next year. These form part of the strategy to expand waste separation policy to include bulky refuse of households and small shops.

Permits for four of the five proposed waste collection sites - in Mriehel, Hal Far, ta' Zwejra in Maghtab and tal-Kus, limits of Ghajnsielem - have been issued and the contract will be awarded by the end of September.

Among those present at the press conference were Local Councils Association president Ian Micallef and Management Efficiency Unit consultant Kevin Gatt, who gave a presentation on how the new regulations will be implemented.

Mr Gatt explained that the fines for littering and dumping will be handed down by both uniformed and undercover wardens to ensure the public does not just abide by the law when they see uniformed personnel.

The fines will double if a person repeats the offence within 12 months for littering and two years for dumping.

If an individual pays a littering (but not a dumping) fine on the spot he would have the option of paying the minimum Lm25 instead of going to the local tribunal where the commissioner of justice might decide to raise the fine to Lm50.

Seventy per cent of the littering fines originating from wardens contracted by local councils shall be distributed to the council and 30 per cent to the environment fund, while with dumping fines the revenue will be split equally.

On the other hand, from littering fines originating from wardens contracted by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority the local council will receive 20 per cent, Mepa 50 per cent and the environment fund the remaining 30 per cent.

With regards to dumping, the environment fund will get the bulk of the revenue, 50 per cent, Mepa 30 per cent the the council 20 per cent.

The disbursements from this fund shall take place periodically and the councils can submit proposals for environmental projects on an annual basis. The existing contracts with local warden agencies will be amended to reflect these new obligations. In the coming weeks wardens will undergo an intensive training programme.

Dr Micallef explained that about 40 per cent of councils' annual funds went into cleaning and he hoped that these new regulations will get people to start exercising self-discipline.

As from October these regulations will be enforced for three months on a trial basis and wardens will start issuing written warnings.

In the coming weeks the government will also be embarking on an information campaign with mascot Xummiemu back on the scene, while local councils will issue a request for proposals for the provision of adequate disposal receptacles.