In Sliema, where rats have been spotted feasting on abandoned organic rubbish, residents were left bewildered after hearing Wasteserv CEO’s suggestion to freeze their white bags until collection day.
“Nobody wants to put that in their fridge,” many said, believing that storing organic waste in cooler temperatures will not solve the foul odours that the densely populated area has become accustomed to.
Times of Malta spoke to Sliema residents after Wasteserv CEO Richard Bilocca found an odd solution to the waste problem: “When you fill up your organic bin bag, you can store it in your freezer and take it out for collection, solving the problem of bad odours.”
However, residents were not too keen on storing their organic waste alongside their frozen food.
“It’s not hygienic, it’s madness,” Amelia Muscat from Sliema said.
“If the CEO of the company is willing to provide residents with freezers, definitely,” local business owner Rosita Jan said, who has been living in the area for over a decade.
Some residents said that they already store some of their organic waste in their freezer to stop the smell while they await the proper collection day (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), yet they clarified that the frozen fix is far from ideal.
What’s the solution?
Most residents claimed that foreigners and tourists staying in the locality are unaware of the proper days for waste collection which has led to a rise in organic bags littering the streets.
“The problem is that nobody abides by the rules,” resident John Farrugia said.
Residents know when to take out their rubbish, many said, emphasising that the population of the country and the area has exploded and that sanitary services cannot keep up.
One resident who would not give her name tried taking out her recycling bags on a day allotted for organic. When confronted, she claimed to have made a mistake and hurried the bags back into her building.
One issue that must be addressed is education, as many residents felt that many people are simply unaware of the collection schedule, especially in the case of tourists and foreigners.
“We can’t just change the garbage system without educating the population,” Balzan local councillor Andre Grech who owns property in the area said.
Some held the pessimistic belief that people will always take their garbage out on the wrong days, others thought that daily collections would solve the problem while earlier collection times were also a possible solution.
“More collection and more enforcement. More fines for sure because otherwise people never learn,” Sliema resident Christine Said said.
“We need multiple solutions so that people can take their pick,” Matthew Calleja said.
Mountains of uncollected rubbish along the Sliema seafront and rat infestations have recently put the locality in the media’s spotlight while residents’ frustrations culminated in a protest on Tuesday evening.
Gathering at Fond Għadir, one man dressed for the occasion, donning a suit made of bin bags and covering his face with an organic bag.
Charles Falzon, a 77-year-old resident who has lived in Sliema his whole life said the town has become overrun with garbage and dirt, boats full of students who disturb the peace, and pavements taken over by tables and chairs.