This is the situation in Dobbie Street, Paceville, where residents report that this pile of rubbish has been sitting outside since Saturday evening.
The waste is piled directly beside a communal Blue Badge parking space, with bags and loose rubbish spreading across the pavement and towards the road.
According to the report submitted to Malta Gone Wild, the rubbish is believed to be coming from nearby shortlet apartments.
If this is the case, serious questions need to be asked about the way these properties are being managed.
Shortlet operators cannot simply accommodate large numbers of visitors and then allow bags of household waste to accumulate outside for days. Property owners and operators have a responsibility to make sure their guests understand Malta’s waste collection rules and that rubbish is disposed of correctly.
This is not only unsightly. It creates problems for pedestrians, wheelchair users and anyone trying to use the Blue Badge parking area. In the summer heat, rubbish left outside for days also quickly becomes a hygiene and pest issue.
What is particularly frustrating is that situations like this are becoming increasingly common in heavily populated shortlet areas.
Where is the enforcement?
- Why are piles like this allowed to remain on the street for several days?
- Are shortlet owners being held responsible when waste from their properties is repeatedly placed outside on the wrong days?
- And why should residents and neighbouring businesses have to live with the consequences of poorly managed holiday accommodation?
- Paceville already has enough pressure from tourism, nightlife and high population density. Basic waste management should not be optional.
- If shortlet owners are making money from properties in our communities, the very least expected is that they ensure those properties do not contribute to turning the surrounding streets into dumping grounds.