Artist’s impression of the Ampang Jaya cat shelter which will be ready by July next year. Left: (From second right) Hasrolnizam and Kamri during one of the prize presentations at MPAJ’s Environmental Health Day event. Looking on is Yew (second from left).
GREEN initiatives conducted this year has enabled Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) to save RM103,200 in waste disposal costs.
MPAJ deputy president Hasrolnizam Shaari said the savings was possible because some 2,400 tonnes of waste collected were not sent to landfills.
The waste was separated at source and sent for recycling instead, he said.
Hasrolnizam said the council’s green programmes had shifted people’s mindset from looking at waste as useless to something that had value and was beneficial to the community.
About 470 tonnes of waste, he said, were collected daily in areas under MPAJ’s jurisdiction, most of which were food waste and recyclables.
“MPAJ supports the state government’s SelKitar initiative that will kick off in the municipality on Dec 8.
“A total of 86,000 households will be involved.
“Our target is to achieve 15% separation-at-source rate,” he said at the local council’s Environmental Health Day celebration at Menara MPAJ.
Also present at the event were Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Kamri Kamaruddin and Teratai assemblyman Yew Jia Haur.
Alongside SelKitar, MPAJ would widen its “Trash for Cash” programme, collection of food waste to be turned into animal feed and fertiliser, and placement of recycling cages at residential areas, Hasrolnizam said.
(From second right) Hasrolnizam and Kamri during one of the prizepresentations at mPaJ’s environmental Health day event. Looking on isyew (second from left).
“To date, we have collected 63 tonnes of recyclables through the Trash for Cash programme and 135.5 tonnes of food waste from the 12 collection points.
“In collaboration with non-governmental organisations, eight recycling cages placed at strategic locations managed to collect some 34 tonnes of recyclables,” he said.
The event also saw MPAJ giving prizes to the community, including schools that won in various competitions organised by the municipal council.
MPAJ collected 81 tonnes of recyclables, including cooking oil and e-waste from the competitions.
Some 500 people, including teachers and students, attended the event that also had exhibition booths showcasing innovations using recyclables.
Meanwhile, Hasrolnizam said a park for stray cats was being planned for Ampang Jaya.
Called Taman Kucing MPAJ, he said, it would be located along Jalan Kerja Ayer Lama, opposite the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) premises.
The RM485,000 project, he said, would involve upgrading an existing hall into a temporary cat conservation centre, complete with a quarantine section, treatment space and a visitors’ area.
“Each cat rescued will be treated and given temporary care before being put up for adoption,” he said.
He added that the facility could accommodate up to 50 cats at one time.
The project, Hasrolnizam said, reflected MPAJ’s commitment to animal welfare and offered a more humane alternative to managing the issue of stray animals, which often caused concern among residents.
“Our aim is to heal them and find them new homes,” he said, adding that funding for the project would come from development charges and public facility contributions under MPAJ.
The initiative was developed in collaboration with SPCA, the Veterinary Services Department and Kelab Kucing Malaysia.
Work is expected to begin at the start of 2026 and be completed by July the same year.
Sepang Municipal Council (MPsepang) had set up its Taman Kucing in 2023 at Taman Tasik Cyberjaya.
