As of recently, there seems to be a running theme of overflowing rubbish bins and accumulating trash surrounding them (not to mention rats) all over Malta – but who is to blame?

This “health hazard” that has been “accumulating for days” sheds light on a lack of “government resources” says one St Paul’s Bay resident, adding that “the local council needs to get its act together.”

To make matters worse, it is not only in St Paul’s Bay, one of the largest localities in Malta, that this sort of incident is occurring, with rats as well as rubbish lining the streets of Msida, Sliema, St Julian’s, and Swieqi.

Additionally, there seems to have been a similar occurrence of overflowing bins and accumulating bins in St Paul’s Bay just last year, with the mayor shifting the blame to illegal dumping – could it still be the case?

“Incredibly irresponsible” individuals seem to be “dumping rubbish” on days when they aren’t supposed to, causing the trash to fester and rot – we then wonder why we are seeing as increase in the population of rats across the island.

And its not just residents that have taken matters into their own hands, with Sliema mayor, John Pillow naming and shaming Tower Road residents for incorrect garbage disposal.

Going back even farther to 2021, residents of nearby Buġibba had expressed concern about the state of the locality’s streets – which had become dumping ground, we can clearly see that the issue had not been resolved.

Do you think there is any hope for the St Paul’s Bay and Buġibba area – as well as Malta as a whole?