Raining trash in the capital

Residents of high-rise dwellings tend to take the easy way out by throwing rubbish out of their windows and balconies. — Photos: AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star

INDISCRIMINATE dumping of rubbish from upper floors is not confined to poor communities.

According to data by waste company Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, this even happens in affluent neighbourhoods, including urban centres.

Alam Flora has listed down more than 20 hotspots for cases of “flying rubbish” – referring to rubbish being thrown from balconies, windows and rooftops of commercial buildings, shophouses, flats and apartments.

The areas identified are Bukit Bintang, Brickfields, Cheras, Chow Kit, Sentul and Pudu where Alam Flora contractors regulary contend with the problem of irresponsible rubbish disposal.

Alam Flora contractors, who spoke to StarMetro on condition of anonymity, said some of the rubbish end up on rooftops and balcony awnings, while some get entangled on satellite dishes, TV antennas and light poles, remaining there for months and sometimes years.

An Alam Flora worker trying to scrape out rubbish stuck on an awning.

Apart from rubbish, cigarette butts are also found strewn everywhere and take ages to degrade.

At times, clothes hung out to dry along balconies get blown away by strong winds and end up on rooftops.

“No one bothers to clean these spots as it involves a lot of work, time and skill, so people pretend that it is not there,” said one Alam Flora worker.

“We are paid to clean up, but when we tell people not to throw rubbish on rooftops, we are told to mind our own business,” lamented a frustrated worker.

“Majority of the occupants of flats are foreign workers, and I have seen them throw rubbish from the balconies,” said another worker.

“Even business owners do not take kindly to being told not to throw rubbish everywhere, it’s very upsetting,” he added.

A bag filled with rubbish hangs from cable at a flat in Bukit Bintang. Rubbish is also trapped in the window panes.

For the record, Alam Flora does not have enforcement powers to take action and its workers are prone to being verbally abused by residents.

The Star photographer Azhar Mahfof, who spent the day in dingy alleys in various parts of the Golden Triangle, said he was appalled to see the level of apathy among the residents and business community in the area.

“The stench from rotting rubbish and the filth was just too much to bear and I felt too sick to eat anything after the assignment,” he reported.

Azhar said when he spoke to people around the area about the rubbish, many ticked him off for intruding into their private space and told him to leave.

It has been reported that more than 100 tonnes of domestic waste was collected from 10 rubbish hot-spots in the city centre in 2013, and the number of hotspots have almost tripled with an increase in waste collected.

When contacted, Alam Flora chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan said: “We, as responsible members of society, need to know the proper way to dispose of waste and understand the implications of throwing rubbish from high-rise buildings or anywhere else for that matter.

As if this old satellite dish is not ugly enough, the soiled t-shirt may have gotten stuck here on its way down.

“Children need to be taught about proper and safe disposal of rubbish.

“Residents need to take the initiative to correct others when they see such wrongdoing.

“We must keep our surroundings neat and clean so that we can all lead a healthy life in better living conditions.

Two weeks ago, a 15-year-old boy died from severe head injuries after being struck by a chair that was hurled from an upper floor of the Seri Pantai PPR (People’s Housing Project) flats in Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur.

The incident resulted in outrage by the public and calls for the Government to take stringent measures to curb indiscriminate rubbish dumping at high-rises.