A KDEB lorry collecting rubbish from a bin at 18th mile Jalan Hulu Langat, Selangor.
THE leach bins placed along Jalan Hulu Langat in Dusun Tua, Selangor to help with waste management has become a bane instead.
The bins are for villagers to throw domestic waste as there is no door-to-door rubbish pick-up service in their villages.
Taman Sri Kundang resident Nor Jasmin Hani Junid, 25, said the bins were placed opposite houses five years ago to be used by those in surrounding villages.
“However, rubbish started piling up as people started leaving rubbish bags by the bins.
“Scavenging animals tear open the bags, leaving rubbish spilling out all over the area.”
Nor Jasmin said the stench from leachate and rotting food brings much discomfort to Taman Sri Kundang residents.
MPKj’s banner announcing that the leach bin near Azman’s weekend home will be closed. However, Illegal rubbish dumping still persists.
“The smell gets worse when it rains.
“The rubbish also attracts flies which hover over cooked food and lay eggs.”
Nor Jasmin has filed two complaints with the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj), with the latest in April last year.
Azman Haron, 56, is another disgruntled resident who wants MPKj to come up with a better solution for waste management.
He has had to put up with a leach bin in front of his weekend home at the 16th mile Jalan Hulu Langat for the past three years.
“In addition to the eyesore, I have to clear the drains myself when it is clogged with rubbish.
“People don’t only throw domestic waste here. They dump old mattresses and all types of bulk waste. So I have to haul up these heavy items from my drains,” he added.
Azman wants MPKj to move the leach bin elsewhere because he planned to turn his home into a homestay.
“Having a bin by the roadside also endangers motorists who have to park by the road shoulder to get down and throw waste.
“The rubbish lorry also blocks half the road during its collection rounds,” he said.
“MPKj should discuss with village heads on finding new locations for the bins that are away from main roads,” he said.
When StarMetro visited the site near Azman’s weekend home, they saw a banner by the council announcing that the leach bin would be closed and the public would no longer be allowed to throw rubbish there.
Kampung Sungai Semungkis resident Hasidah Bakri, 43, said all the banners had little effect in deterring illegal dumping.
Rubbish is still being dumped at the leach bin close to her home, on a bridge overlooking Sungai Semungkis, although MPKj had placed a banner stating the leach bin there was no longer available for the community.
“It’s been three months now and the rubbish is still lying there,” said Hasidah.
While the leach bins are meant only for the benefit of the 14 traditional villages in Dusun Tua, rubbish lorry driver Julian Nordin said fly tippers were offloading waste at these sites.
In its defence, KDEB Waste Management Kajang operations head Abdul Razak Abu Talib said rubbish was collected from the leach bins along Jalan Hulu Langat daily.
“We start at 5am and collect waste until noon. Then we proceed to the Tanjung Dua Belas landfill to dump the rubbish.
“The locations of leach bins were decided by the village chiefs (penghulu) and MPKj. KDEB does not decide on the locations.”
Abdul Razak said there were 32 bins from the ninth to the 18th mile of Jalan Hulu Langat.
“A proposed solution to address the rubbish issue will be to carry out rubbish collection from door to door but it comes at a cost.
“The implementation will depend on whether residents and MPKj will agree to it.”
When contacted, Dusun Tua assemblyman Datuk Johan Abd Aziz said KDEB, MPKj representatives and councillors will meet this week to find a solution.
