85 households issued notices for not separating waste

Waste not: SWCorp Johor director Asri Amat (right) and Halimah at the officiating ceremony of the Separation- at-Source programme at Flat Sri Saujana in Taman Sri Saujana, Johor.

KOTA TINGGI: Eighty-five households have been issued notices for failing to separate their waste in accordance with the separation-at -source policy.

Deputy Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique said the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) had checked about 150,000 homes in six states and two Federal Territories from June 1 to Oct 20.

“We do not want to force people to obey the rules of waste separation by taking stern action such as fines, but to encourage them to adopt it as a culture,” she said.

The notices served to the errant ones did not carry any punishment.

Halimah was speaking to reporters after attending the SWCorp separation-at-waste programme at Sri Saujana flats in Taman Sri Saujana here yesterday.

Since Sept 1 last year, it was compulsory for households in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah to separate their waste.

Halimah said SWCorp and its appointed concession company must continue carrying out more campaigns to raise awareness on waste separation.

Commenting on Budget 2017, Halimah said the ministry would plan the People’s Housing Scheme (PPR) according to the needs of each state within their allocations in Budget 2017.

The ministry would build 9,850 PPR houses with RM134mil.

A total of 11,250 PPR houses are being built with RM576mil.

The budget also allocated RM300mil for 1Malaysia Main­tenance Fund to repair facilities at flats and 113 PPR.