KDEB Waste Management (KDEBWM) is expanding its fleet and service areas to cope with Kuala Selangor’s growing population and development.
Domestic waste collection zones under Kuala Selangor Municipal Council (MPKS) have increased from 12 to 23, while public cleansing zones have risen from 13 to 24 in the last seven years.
KDEB managing director Datuk Ramli Mohd Tahir said the expansion would see the company invest nearly RM15mil in new assets, including additional lorries, under a renewed seven-year agreement with MPKS.
“After seven years, our operations in Kuala Selangor have increased by almost 100%,” he said after the memorandum of agreement signing ceremony at the council’s headquarters on domestic waste collection and public cleansing between KDEB and MPKS.
Ramli said the additional workload required new investment, particularly as the price of waste collection vehicles had also increased.
He said a compactor lorry that cost about RM370,000 seven years ago now costs around RM470,000.
“We are spending almost RM15mil to cover Kuala Selangor alone.”
KDEB began operations under the new arrangement on March 1, while both parties took additional time to finalise the terms of the agreement.
The agreement covers domestic waste collection and public cleansing services until 2033.
With new housing developments driving up waste generation across the municipality, Ramli said the expanded capacity was essential to maintain service standards.
“We want to ensure that waste generated by residents is collected according to the scheduled frequency.”
He acknowledged there could still be shortcomings and said KDEB would improve its services
MPKS president Mohamad Hanafe Basri said the expanded operations must also translate into better results on the ground.
He said the local council would place greater emphasis on compliance with key performance indicators, and performance judged by actual cleanliness rather than merely whether assigned work had been completed.
“Areas to be cleaned must truly be clean, collections must be carried out according to schedule and any weakness identified must be followed by improvement measures.”
Mohamad Hanafe said operations should also move from “waiting for complaints” to preventing complaints, with teams identifying potential problem areas before they worsened.
He said complaints lodged through channels such as iClean Selangor should be resolved within the stipulated service-level agreement period.
MPKS also wants GPS and digital monitoring systems to be used to identify weaknesses, improve efficiency and speed up action on the ground.
Mohamad Hanafe said particular attention should be given to public areas, commercial centres, markets, recreational spaces and tourist destinations because cleanliness played an important role in shaping Kuala Selangor’s image.
He said routine maintenance such as drain cleaning, grass cutting and street sweeping was also important, to reduce flash flood risks and the potential for Aedes mosquitoes to breed in stagnant water.
Ramli said 23 contractors had been appointed following an open tender exercise in February for domestic waste collection under the new agreement.
He added that the contractors would operate under KDEB, which would provide the lorries and oversee operating procedures and service standards.
The final local authority to undergo the renewal of agreement process will be Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) in December, with its operational term slated to commence in January next year.
