Enforcement officers on rounds to ensure residents separate rubbish

IF you’re residing on landed property in Kuala Lumpur, don’t be surprised to see uniformed personnel looking through your rubbish bins.

They are enforcement officers from the Solid Waste and Solid Cleansing Management Corp (SWCorp) checking to see if the population is separating their rubbish.

House-to-house checks are already being carried out in selected housing areas in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan.

“The enforcement team is being mobilised under the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 672.

“Before this, we have already started our public engagement by going from house to house telling people what is trash separation and how it should be done.

“Starting from today, we will issue friendly reminders to homeowners who have not separated their trash,” said Faridah Bahara Nordin from the enforcement and monitoring division of SWCorp during an operation at Precinct 18 in Putrajaya.

Residents can place bulky items such as cardboard boxes, furniture and old fridges around the bin outside their houses to be collected by Alam Flora.

Precinct 18 resident Abdul Hamid Mohamad was taken by surprise.

“This is the first time I am hearing about it,” said the retiree.

Another homeowner, whose trash bag was found to be mixed with food waste and a plastic cooking oil container, did not come to the door when enforcement officers came knocking.

An anxious housekeeper answered the door on the owner’s behalf. She was visibly relieved upon receiving a reminder letter instead of a fine.

According to the Government mandate, the public will be required to separate their waste according to food, paper, plastic and bulk items like furniture and refrigerators from Sept 1.

By January next year, compounds will be issued to defaulters. They may also face court action.

“It is about time Malaysians practised trash separation as a way of life. This should have been done a long time ago for the sake of the environment,” said Abdul Hamid.

Abdul Hamid is not new to the practice. Having lived in Holland during the 1980s, he remembers how residents were given green and black bins by the authorities. Non-organic rubbish goes into the black bins while green bins will take in organic waste.

SWCorp and Alam Flora officers talking to resident Abdul Hamid (in grey T-shirt).

Shakila Abdul Ghani, who lives in Precinct 18, said it was not hard to separate rubbish.

Her tip is to have dedicated bins for the different categories of trash.

A large one in the kitchen will take in food waste. Another two, about the size of wastepaper baskets, can be placed in the hall to discard plastic items and paper.

“Once they are full, I just tie them up in plastic bags and put them in front of my house. It’s very easy,” she said.

“The mandate is only coming into effect on Sept 1 but it is best that we start reminding the population to start now,” said SWCorp CEO Datuk Abd Rahim Md Noor.

He pointed out that waste separation had been practised in developed countries for ages.

“The most important thing is for people to understand their responsibility.

“In developed countries, materials such as plastic and fabric are seen as resources that can be used for the production of other things. For example, 99% of rubbish in Sweden are recycled. Only 1% is sent to the landfill,” he highlighted.

Abd Rahim stressed that trash separation was part of earth conservation.

“If we do not recycle paper waste, we will have to cut more trees. Food waste sent to landfills will create methane gas, which will in turn lead to global warming and rising sea levels,” he added.

Categories of trash: The Alam Flora truck is compartmentalised into different sections to separate rubbish. Homeowners can do so on a smaller scale by having different bins for paper, glass, food waste and plastic.

To drive home the message, the corporation is planning more education and awareness campaigns nationwide.

“If we talk about global warming, the reality is too distant for them. We must address the immediate issues first.

“We will explain to them that rubbish management is important to keep rodents and Aedes mosquitoes at bay,” Abd Rahim explained.

He said the focus for now was on landed properties, adding that the company was in the midst of discussion with joint management bodies in high-rises.

The concessionaires involved will be expected to provide the appropriate bins for proper waste separation.

Alam Flora chief executive officer Mohd Zain Hassan said separation at source was an important step towards increasing the lifespan of landfills. He pointed out this would be a cost-saving exercise in the long run.

“There are 2,400 tonnes of rubbish a day now. If this can be reduced, there will be a reduction in tipping fees at the transfer stations.

“Let’s say if we can reduce it to 400 tonnes in the first year, it will work out to savings for the Government. The money can be spent on the people’s wellbeing instead, he added.

Alam Flora handles the waste management at Precinct 18.

SWCorp was established under the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 672 and is empowered to enforce the law in solid waste management and related matters.