Waste being unloaded from rubbish lorries at Kuala Lumpur’s main transfer station near MRR2. The yellow structure is a vertical compactor.
THE rubbish crisis affecting parts of Kuala Lumpur earlier this month was set off in mid-November after 14 tipper lorries were seized for operating without permits to transport rubbish, a waste contractor says.
The lorries, confiscated by the Road Transport Department (JPJ), are used for transporting waste to and from the city’s solid waste transfer station.
Soo said tipper lorries transport 1,200 tonnes of waste a day.The lorries belong to sub-contractors engaged by Bumi Segar Indah Sdn Bhd – the government-appointed contractor managing the facility – to transport waste first to the transfer station near Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) and then to the Bukit Tagar Sanitary Landfill, about 60km away.
“These vehicles were licensed to carry construction materials such as granite.
“They were not recognised in JPJ’s system as authorised waste vehicles, which was a technical issue rather than a breach of the law,” said Bumi Segar Indah general manager Soo Kam Heng.
The confiscated lorries sharply reduced hauling capacity, he said.
Soo said tipper lorries transported about 1,200 tonnes of waste a day and without them, rubbish began piling up.
He said Bumi Segar Indah relied on its own prime movers for household waste, while tipper lorries handled bulky items.
He added that the disruption coincided with a sharp rise in waste generation, including spring cleaning, towards the end of 2025.
In November and December, daily waste volumes surged to as high as 3,200 tonnes.
The situation was further compounded by damage to operational equipment at the waste transfer station’s bay platform, first detected in December 2025.
This disrupted the waste transfer process, contributing to a build-up of more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish at the facility by Dec 31.
Soo said the backlog had been addressed after Jan 11, with waste transport from the transfer station to Bukit Tagar now running according to schedule.
“Since then, we have held several meetings with JPJ and the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) to secure the release of the lorries,” he said.
Regarding complaints on long waiting hours for rubbish lorries entering the station, Soo said the matter was beyond their control.
“The station receives up to 100 lorries an hour during peak period from 9am to 4pm, resulting in long queues despite operating 24 hours a day.”
He said the company has repeatedly asked Alam Flora for a structured collection schedule to ease congestion.
Waste collected by lorries is compacted and treated at the transfer station before being sent to Bukit Tagar.
“Operations have been stabilised, and preparations are in place for the Thaipusam waste surge,” said Soo.
Soo thanked Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) and National Solid Waste Management Department (JSPN) for instructing Alam Flora to divert waste collection lorries to the Bukit Tagar landfill.
