Some Swatar residents have complained about the overflowing garbage seen at a bring-in site on triq tal-Qattus .
An email received by this newsroom read that the two small skips in this particular bring in site were unable to cope with the demand and frequently trash ended up spilling onto the pavement to the detriment of residents and pedestrians.
“At first the situation came back to normal, however the local council later decided to install flood-lighting and CCTV cameras in the area and instead decided to leave only one skip instead of two”.
“It is unbelievable how the local council could spend so much money and recurring expenses on CCTV and electricity to keep flood lightning on all night long and yet does not allocate enough budget for an extra skip”.
“It seems the local council is more interested in collecting money from contraventions and to send wardens in the area rather than providing a decent service to tax-paying citizens”.
The letter urged the council to increase skips in this bring in site and the frequency with which these are emptied as soon as possible. “The stench in the area is unbearable and this has become breeding ground for mosquitoes and mice”.
Contacted by this newsroom, Birkirkara Council Executive Secretary Neil Spiteri said that the bring-in site is cleaned once or twice a week, and also admitted that the number of skips have been reduced. He said that there are different opinions about the site, stating that some residents want fewer skips, rather than more.
He said that the council is installing CCTVs at all bring-in sites, and also said that there are also lighting problems. The council, however, could use more help from local wardens and police on the matter as people are throwing rubbish without really caring as to whether it is in the dumpster or not.
Aside from collecting the garbage from the bring-in site, black bags are collected twice a week from peoples’ homes, organic bags are collected four times a week and recycling bags are collected twice a week, he said. “In addition, bulky refuse services are offered for free”.