Ministry acts following service disruptions at transfer station
The government has taken action against the Kuala Lumpur Transfer Station (KLTS) operator following disruption of solid waste collection in the capital.
In a written response to StarMetro, the Housing and Local Government Ministry said KLTS operator’s contract is now under review.
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This is to address problems of refuse lorries queueing for eight hours at the transfer station, missed collection rounds and piles of rubbish in several Kuala Lumpur neighbourhoods.
The ministry said it has taken “stern action” against the operator for failing to meet stipulated key performance indicators (KPIs), but did not elaborate what those entailed.
It also confirmed that breakdowns of the operator’s machinery and equipment had caused refuse lorries to queue for up to eight hours before unloading at KLTS along Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2).
“This affected KLTS’s smooth operation as well as the transfer of solid waste to the Bukit Tagar Sanitary Landfill.
“The ministry views seriously the operator’s level of service provided,” it said.
The ministry-owned facility, managed by Bumi Segar Indah Sdn Bhd, under Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation’s (SWCorp) supervision, compacts waste before transporting it to the Bukit Tagar landfill, about 60km away.
According to the National Solid Waste Management Department, KLTS receives an average of 2,700 tonnes of waste daily, up from 2,400 tonnes last year.
The ministry added that the waste increase had placed greater pressure, contributing to operational disruptions, especially during peak periods.
As a mitigation measure, part of the waste stream, handled by concession company Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, was diverted from KLTS to Bukit Tagar beginning Aug 9.
Alam Flora is responsible for collecting rubbish across Kuala Lumpur and transporting it to KLTS.
“This diversion of waste was intended to reduce KLTS’s operational burden and address disruptions to rubbish collection on the ground caused by the lengthy waiting time for lorries to unload.”
SWCorp was monitoring operations with regular meetings held to assess the situation and determine follow-up measures, said the ministry, adding that the disruption had a direct impact on collection schedules across Kuala Lumpur.
StarMetro reported on Aug 10 that refuse lorries had queued for long hours at KLTS, disrupting collection schedules in Kepong, Jalan Ipoh, Jalan Kelang Lama and Brickfields.
The delays prevented many lorries from completing their second collection rounds.
Although backup lorries were deployed, not all scheduled collections could be met.
In January, damaged equipment and a year-end surge resulted in more than 20,000 tonnes of rubbish accumulating as of Dec 31.
Last November, the Road Transport Department seized 14 Bumi Segar Indah tipper lorries over permit issues, reducing its capacity to transport waste to Bukit Tagar.
At press time, collection problems were still reported in Brickfields, Happy Garden, Kuchai and Taman Intan Baiduri in Kepong.
Residents complained of foul smell from overflowing rubbish, and the presence of flies, maggots and rats.
