JEDDAH, 17 July 2003 — A new garbage disposal system in the city is being considered by the Directorate for Environment Safety and Health.

Under the new system, each house will place its own bins or garbage bags by the side of the road, and the collection truck will pick them up regularly.

Al-Madinah newspaper had reported that the orange dumpsters currently in use had already been removed in some parts of the city such as Al-Shatea district, and the new service would extend to the rest of Jeddah in several stages.

But Sami Khallaf, an official at the Jeddah Municipality, told Arab News: “We have not started implementing the new system. It is still being studied, and the final decision should come in about two weeks.

“No dumpsters have been removed from any district yet.”

Reactions to the new system from residents were mixed.

“It’s a brand-new idea, but I doubt that everyone will follow it strictly,” Mona Hussein said. “Needy people might steal other people’s valuable garbage bins. Also the new system could encourage rats and street cats to get closer to private homes, or even get inside,” she added.

“Are there going to be separate containers to divide plastic waste from papers and food?” asked Dania Al-Abdullah. “Are the trucks going to come and collect at a scheduled time? I prefer to put my trash as far away as possible and not right in front of my property. This will make the streets look and smell bad,” she said.

“Nobody is going to agree to put a garbage container right in front of their house,” Suhail told Arab News. “I read in Al-Madinah that this started in Al-Shatea district and other fancy new areas. What about the narrow streets in the old areas? The streets there aren’t just messy, they are mires of dirt.”

He is worried about people who make a living picking cardboard and other items out of the garbage. “We can’t stop the garbage collectors picking items from the containers; they have been doing it for ages and it is a living to them. But under the new system, they’d get closer to our homes.”

Ali welcomed the new system. “I am confident this will be a great service and allow Saudis to be more tidy and organized. It will encourage them to arrange their trash in one closed bin instead of the open public one. And this will stop cats and mice from getting into the containers,” he added.