A special committee could be set up to register individuals who dive into dumpsters in search of resalable material.
The proposal was tabled during the Northern Municipal Council’s bi-weekly meeting and it aims to maintain public cleanliness while also combating the spread of diseases and pests.
It was proposed by councillor Mohammed Al Dossari, who considered the behaviour as theft and reviewed by the council’s financial, legislative and administrative committee.
“This is a phenomenon that we see across all four governorates in Bahrain and it needs to be stopped,” he stated.
“We see expatriates dumpster-diving in residential neighbourhoods and commercial streets after the cleaning company has picked up the mess.
“I have seen them personally at midnight dumpster-diving and throwing all the trash out and picking out the metal that they can sell. This is stealing and it should be punishable by law.”
In a written response to the council, the Health Ministry stated that this phenomenon isn’t in the jurisdiction of the Public Health Directorate.
However, the Northern Municipality has stated that efforts could be made to collaborate with community police officers to register violations and help limit the negative impact on communities.
“We haven’t noticed labourers searching through dumpsters or tampering with trash during official working hours,” said the Northern Municipality in a written response.
“It is important to note that there isn’t a clause in the 2019 Public Cleanliness Law regarding these actions.”
Mr Al Dossari proposed creating a special joint committee consisting of the Northern Municipal Council, the Northern Municipality, the Interior Ministry and the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) to start registering violations and keeping a record of incidents.
The proposal was unanimously approved and will now be referred to Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf for review.
The issue has been a topic of debate for years with complaints filed by residents about expatriates littering neighbourhoods and causing a foul stench.
There are licensed companies that collect recyclable materials that are generally law abiding, the authorities say, who don’t spill rubbish outside the bins. In any case, they would face fines and have their permits revoked if they behaved irresponsibly.
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