Paulina Quintao – The Dili municipality authority has handed responsibility for waste management to the private sector.
President of the Dili municipality authority Gaspar Soares said it was more effective for the private sector to takeover waste management as employees worked seven days a week.
"Up until now the government, through the sanitation team, has been responsible for waste management, [but] they are public servants have Saturday and Sunday off, so the rubbish increases more," he said.
He said a big problem was that many communities continued to litter despite attempts to raise awareness about how to dispose of waste properly.
He said another problem faced by the Dili municipality was the issue of urbanization, which meant a high proportion of the population was now concentrated in the city, with many people building homes and selling things on the street arbitrarily.
"We have raised awareness very often and the law bans it (littering), but there has been no change because the communities don't have awareness," he said.
Based on the law decree number 33/2009, those caught littering may face fines of between $5 and $500. However, there was still no clarification on the scale of fines that people and companies must pay.
He also called on local authorities to continue raising awareness among communities as Dili city had a transient population and people didn't stay permanently in one place.
Meanwhile, national MP Eladio Faculto agreed with the government's decision to hand over waste management to the private sector, especially in terms of recycling.
"There are two types of rubbish: organic and non-organic, therefore is important to recycle organic rubbish into fertilizer, while rubbish like plastic can be turned into something else that can be used," he said.
The government currently pays private companies to remove rubbish in the city, but the high volume of waste meant they were unable to keep up.
Meanwhile, local resident Justino da Silva hoped that the government's plan to handover responsibility to the private sector would be implemented. "It is good to motivate the communities to collect the rubbish to be sold to the companies," he said.