ARMED with litter pickers, gloves and rubbish bags, about 200 volunteers joined forces in a community clean-up event aimed at promoting recycling and reducing dengue risks within the Ampang Jaya municipality.
The “Plogging Kitar Semula, Bebas Denggi” event saw participants walking and picking up rubbish along a 2km route around a local field.
The event was jointly organised by Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) and Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia.
MPAJ deputy president Hasrolnizam Shaari said the initiative was part of ongoing efforts to encourage civic responsibility and to address the mounting waste problem in the municipality.
“On average, each person generates between 2kg and 2.5kg of rubbish daily.
“With a population of around 700,000 people across 180,000 houses and shops, that adds up to over 300 tonnes of waste per day,” Hasrolnizam said.
He added that MPAJ allocated RM50mil annually for waste management, including collection and disposal services.
“However, waste management is not just the responsibility of the local council,” he said.
“It requires collective effort. Through community programmes like plogging and recycling initiatives such as Trash to Cash, we hope to instil long-term behavioural change.”
The event also underscored the link between rubbish and public health.
“Improperly discarded waste can become breeding grounds for Aedes mosquitoes, which spread dengue fever,” he said.
“In the first five months of this year alone, Ampang Jaya recorded over 610 dengue cases.”
However, he noted that ongoing preventive efforts such as community clean-ups were showing results, with a 40% reduction in dengue cases recorded this year compared to the same period last year.
Also present at the event were MPAJ Urban Services and Health Department director Khairilazhar Ismail, Teratai assemblyman Yew Jia Haur and MPAJ councillor Wong Keng Chin.
By the end of the programme, about 250kg of rubbish was collected by volunteers, with 202.5kg consisting of recyclable materials.
