Together Gibraltar have issued a statement calling for a “radical shift" in how refuse collection and litter is managed in Gibraltar.

A statement from Together Gibraltar follows below:

Together Gibraltar is calling for a radical shift in how refuse collection and litter is  managed in Gibraltar citing an obvious degradation in the cleanliness of streets,  beaches and estates which are ruining our citizens’ quality of life and making a  mockery of our tourist product. The backlash towards cruise passengers' excursion  to La Linea shows the public is clearly worried that Gibraltar is not offering a  competitive tourist product and that gross mismanagement is jeopardising one of the  pillars of our economy. 

Together Gibraltar is calling for a review to the 1994 Litter and Nuisance Rules &  Regulations which have not been updated save for a one-line amendment in 2018.  Together Gibraltar have found that most citizens were not aware that refuse should  only be deposited at set hours with separate rules for Main Street. This is not a  surprise as it appears that no one in the public sector or contracted by the  government holds responsibility for communicating this information to businesses  and the public, nor is anyone responsible for enforcing this legislation. 

Together Gibraltar also expressed concern over the prevalence of littering and dog  fouling around the Rock and were shocked to learn that the Government only  employs two individuals as litter wardens. Together Gibraltar is aware these  individuals are doing the best they can but do not have the resources to fix the  problem. These jobs are of paramount importance in Gibraltar where the state of our  streets is damaging our appeal to potential tourists and investors and fouling the  areas where our children play. The community will see this not a fruitless expense,  but as an investment that would potentially bring substantial economic benefits, as  well as improving the quality of life of our people. 

Together Gibraltar also query why rubbish is put out by refuse collection teams hours  before collection. This process leaves litter exposed to wind, seagulls, and other  vermin for up to three hours or more which spills litter across a wider area and  causes leakage which stains the ground and must be deep cleaned at the taxpayer's  expense. This system should be replaced with more streamlined and increased  collections to accommodate the lack of containment capacity especially throughout  the city centre. 

If additional resources are needed for refuse collection teams to carry out their work  effectively then they should be provided. These teams’ equipment should also be up  to standard to prevent leakage from refuse collection vehicles which leaves our roads  in an ugly state.