Sliema mayor John Pillow has begun a ‘name-and-shame’ campaign exposing members of the public who have left rubbish on the street, saying he wants to show how easy it is for enforcement officers to track culprits down.
In a series of Facebook videos, Pillow inspects rubbish left outside and identifies members of the public named on cardboard box delivery stickers and receipts left inside refuse bags.
The videos have racked up thousands of likes and hundreds of comments and shares, with residents and other social media users showing their support for the initiative.
In one video, Pillow demands staff in a shop on the Strand bring several cardboard boxes back inside after finding them on the street nearby and another shows him reading out the name of a person named on a receipt in a recycling bag.
Speaking to Times of Malta, Pillow said the country is facing a “national emergency” due to the amount of rubbish being left on the streets outside of collection days.
“I wanted to show how easy it is for enforcement officers to find out who the culprit is,” he said. “I have to do this. The people have had enough and I’ve had enough... I want my town clean.”
The mayor said that Sliema was now dealing with a “big rat problem” due to the amount of rubbish being left on the streets and expressed his frustration at a lack of action by the authorities on the issue.
Asked whether naming people on camera amounted to an invasion of privacy, Pillow pointed out that their identities were already in the public domain.
“What am I doing wrong? Their names are out there in the street already,” he said.
In January, a new household rubbish collection system was introduced to put all parts of the country on the same weekly schedule. The move also saw the provision of the service move from a council level to a regional one.
Since the introduction of the new schedule, Times of Malta has received an increasing number of complaints about overflowing bins and organic waste left rotting on the roadside, especially in tourist areas.
While local councils can decide on collection times, the days for collection are set nationally. Earlier this month, Pillow said that, under the new system, local councils are prevented from requesting additional collections.
Fines for littering may be given out by the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) and Local Enforcement Systems Agency (LESA) officials. They start at €150 and can reach as high as €500 for repeat offences.
However, last month, a spokesperson for ERA said the regulator was focused on education.
“Until October, ERA is focusing its efforts on education, with regular inspections in different localities to encourage the public to follow the applicable regulations,” he said.
Pillow said more support is needed from the Malta Tourism Authority and operators like AirBnB.
Echoing calls by St Julian’s mayor, Guido Dalli in April, Pillow said tourists should be asked for a deposit as a guarantee to stop them from leaving rubbish bags outside on the wrong days.
Other measures could include rubbish bags bearing a code unique to each household and the stepping up of CCTV in problem hotspots, he said.
He also called for adverts to be placed on buses, television, radio and in magazines.
The Sliema council is planning a campaign to ensure that all households receive up-to-date information, he said, including distributing flyers to condominiums with the new waste collection schedule that came into effect in January.
Pillow met with Local Government Minister Owen Bonnici on Monday to discuss how to improve the situation, he said, adding that Bonnici had informed him he would be meeting other ministers to discuss the problem.
Bonnici told the mayor he will meet with Environment Minister Miriam Dalli, Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and a representative from the MTA about the issue.