The outcry from residents of Sliema, Swieqi, St Julian's and many other localities over the dire waste situation experienced throughout this summer is the direct result of Government decisions that have continued to strip local councils of their powers and, in this case, imposed a centralised system which has now clearly failed completely, the Nationalist Party said Tuesday.

Residents in these localities are being faced on a daily basis with piles of rubbish bags, often spilling from pavements onto the road. This is unacceptable wherever it occurs and poses a health risk to residents, the statement said.

In tourist areas, the problem is even more serious, becoming a damaging factor for Malta's reputation as a quality tourism destination. This is particularly concerning at a time when the shift from quantity to quality in tourism is both essential and urgent.

Local councils should once again be given the full responsibility they previously had for waste collection within their individual localities.

In this context, the Partit Nazzjonalista is also calling for funds generated through the environmental contribution, or eco-tax, paid by tourists to be allocated to the local councils in the localities where that contribution is collected, and is urging the Government to accept this proposal. This is all the more important now that the eco-tax has been increased substantially.

It is pointless for the Government to now admit that cleanliness and street waste collection are among the greatest challenges facing local councils when this challenge was, in essence, created by the Government itself as part of its strategy of weakening those very same local councils.

Residents genuinely deserve better, and Malta's tourism product cannot continue to suffer as a result of this strategy, the PN said.

The statement was signed by Alex Perici Calascione, Shadow Minister for Tourism, and Bernice Bonello, Shadow Minister for Local Government and Public Works.