Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1506016
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 AUGUST 2023 8 INTERVIEW Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt Sliema has a garbage problem? Recently, you embarked on a 'name-and-shame' cam- paign, to expose people who disregard garbage-collection regulations. This was a reac- tion to Sliema's widely-known litter problem... but before talking about the campaign it- self, let's talk about how dirty Sliema has actually become. Overflowing garbage bags are (let's face it) a common sight in most Maltese towns... but my impression is that the problem is noticeably worse in Sliema, than most other places. Do you agree? And why do you think Sliema is so badly affected by this problem, anyway? The reality is that garbage col- lection has always been a bit of a problem, in Sliema. And to be fair, the situation has actual- ly improved, in some respects, from how it used to be in the past. For example: I am 62 years old; and I remember a time when we didn't even have 'garbage bags', at all... nor even 'garbage trucks', for that matter. Back in those days, household rubbish was simply thrown into a large, zinc 'kalderun' [cauldron], lined with newspapers - I remember my mother washing ours, after it had been emptied – and the truck that came to collect it, wasn't what we nowadays call a 'Scammel' (incorrectly, by the way: because that's actually the name of the manufacturer, not the vehicle itself). It was just a regular old 'box-truck'; and the rubbish would be emptied into the back.... where a man wear- ing boots would keep stomping on it, to prevent it from over- flowing. So in a sense, we've made a lot of progress, since then. But what has happened recently, is that the collection of mixed-waste – the black bags, to be clear – has been reduced from three times a week, to only twice a week. Meanwhile, Sliema also used to have an extra mixed-waste collection day: on Sundays, be- tween the end of June and the end of September. We can no longer do this, however; as it doesn't fit into the new, nation- al schedule. Another thing that has changed, in the meantime, is the population of Sliema. Re- cent NSO statistics reveal that Sliema now has the highest population density, of any town in the Maltese islands. And this has made a huge difference. Before, Sliema was made up mostly of town-houses – with each household producing only one bag of waste, apiece. To- day, on the other hand, many of those houses have been re- placed with apartment blocks; and not only do they produce the equivalent of seven, eight or nine households' worth of gar- bage... but they have nowhere to store it all, either. Unlike the old townhouses, they don't have an internal yard (bitħa). This raises a question: is the Planning Authority doing its job properly? Because if it were up to me, all apartment blocks would have to have what is known as a 'swill-room' – a storage space for garbage, for days when there is no collec- tion. To be fair: some of the apartment blocks do have this; but most don't. Above all, however, since the new garbage collection scheme has been in force... most people are just disregarding it com- pletely. They just don't give a damn (jitmellħu); and they're literally throwing everything out, on any day of the week, as they please.... This brings us to your 'name- and-shame' campaign. While your frustration is certainly understandable, some people are questioning your methods (which include opening up gar- bage bags, and identifying the culprit through receipts, and other discarded trash). How do you respond to complaints that what you are doing, may amount to a violation of the 'right to privacy'? Let me start with this. I love Sliema. Even back when I was still just a councillor, I always worked hard to improve things in my home-town. And just to give you an idea of how much Sliema means to me... when I became mayor, I gave up my job to be able to dedicate myself 100% to the role. And it wasn't easy. I gave up a good wage... and all the perks: including a mobile; a company car; petrol expenses; insurance... I lost it all. Now, as mayor, I have an al- lowance of €1,522 a month: and of that, €710 go to pay the rent. Now, why am I telling you all this? Because the way I see it: if you really love your hometown, you have to be ready to make sacrifices for it. I don't want to make myself out to be some kind of 'hero', or anything; but to me, 'going through garbage bags' is also a sacrifice, in a way. It's certainly not something I do for 'fun'. It's something I feel I have to do, because the situa- tion is now getting out of hand. And I've been doing this sort of thing for a very long time. It's not just now, that I intervene whenever I see someone taking out the garbage on the wrong day. I've been doing this for years... Have people been complaining about it for years, too? The ones I caught? Definite- ly! They'd say things like... 'but there's already a garbage bag over there!' And I'd say, 'So what? It doesn't mean you can just dump yours there, too!' 'But why me?' 'Because you're the one that I caught...'; and so on, and so forth. But the point is: I've been do- ing this for a very long time... and the situation has only got worse, since then. So now I feel it's time to go a step further, and publicly 'name and shame' of- fenders; instead of just catching them in the act. As for the 'right to privacy' complaint... it doesn't bother me, to be honest. First of all, I'm not the type to be both- Sliema mayor JOHN PILLOW puts up a stout defence of his controversial 'name- and-shame' litter campaign. If people are not ashamed to dump their garbage on the streets... he's not ashamed to 'out' them, either