From Ms L. Galea

I clearly remember Mayor Ian Borg knocking on my door in pre-election hype, explaining his interest in the environment and the measures he would take to ensure a clean environment.

Yet this week I had ample proof that Mr Borg and his colleagues on the Dingli council had missed the bus completely after I received mail that referred to the new timetable regarding the collection of rubbish and the bring-in sites as from today.

The council has taken measures to adopt schedules other councils have planned. This does not mean the other councils, which inspired the Dingli local council, had taken sensible decisions.

I understand that the bring-in sites are being misused, but why should I be penalised if other people are abusing the system. Also, skips were to be removed. Financial constraints are the usual excuse when silly changes are made. Yet, if the council made an effort to enforce the law, the village would not have any pollution, eyesores, noise pollution (especially on weekends) and illegal dumping of waste, thus there would be the financial resources to supply the village with an acceptable waste service.

Instead, the council has had the brainwave of shifting the rubbish collection to the evening between 6 and 9pm, which means people can’t put out their rubbish before 5pm. Can the council explain how people who get home after 7pm can put out their rubbish at 5pm?

These are the usual arrangements of a village where it is thought, by and large, that the little wife stays at home to polish the front door step, wait for the gas man and rubbish collection while having a chat with a curious neighbour. Can the Dingli council keep in mind that things have changed? People who work late or do shift work need to have skips available because they cannot leave their rubbish outside their door at the stipulated time and need an alternative place.

Secondly, Dingli local council offers the service on a Saturday and Sunday between 1 and 4pm. Perfect! Now one cannot even take a siesta. The noisy garbage collector in our street has already damaged two neighbours’ balconies and cars when driving up St Mary Street. Can Ian Borg and friends guarantee that the garbage collector will see the cars parked in the street at night, since he has not managed to see them in the light of day? Do I have to leave whatever I’m doing to be disturbed by a garbage collector who hurls insults at me for parking my car in the street where I live, as he has already done on other occasions? Is this the kind of service the council has to offer Dingli residents who used skips and bring-in sites?

The council’s ability to offer adequate services has failed miserably. Not only did it fail to offer adequate support to residents in St Mary Street who wished to make it a one-way street, it now has made this small, very noisy street more difficult for residents who are at the beck and call of the garbage collector.

Therefore, I ask Ian Borg, Joseph M. Abela, Sandro Azzopardi, David Vassallo and Anthony Zarb, not to come knocking on my door or send me pre-electoral publicity flyers come election time. I am not interested in their empty promises!

Lisa Galea

DINGLI