When the right to efficient rubbish collection is denied

Rubbish strewn along Jalan 12 in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, despite designated rubbish bins by the Selayang Municipal Council placed just metres away.

Onus on local councils to ensure residents not forced to dispose of domestic waste in bins designated for traders

THERE seems to be no end to the chronic problem of indiscriminate rubbish dumping in Malaysia.

Don’t we all want to live in a clean environment?

Some people have even resorted to stealing rubbish bins as revealed in StarMetro report on Nov 24 titled “Man caught on CCTV stealing Selayang council-owned rubbish bin.”

The report highlighted how an individual was caught in the act in Taman Desa Jaya, Kepong, thanks to closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) at the spot in question.

Selayang Municipal Council, (MPS) in providing the rubbish bins for public use, stated that it had spent RM130,000 this year to replace bins that were either vandalised or stolen.

Following the most recent theft incident, the council lodged a police report and handed over the CCTV footage for further action.

On the flip side, a colleague was fined RM1,000 for disposing of rubbish in an MPS bin in the same area in Taman Desa Jaya a few days before Deepavali last month.

He said MPS sent him a compound notice stating he had committed an offence under Section 4 of the Rubbish Collection and Disposal By-law (MPS) 2007.

Upon checking with MPS, the local council stated that rubbish disposal was not allowed in public places or areas not designated by the council as a rubbish dumping site.My colleague claimed that household rubbish had not been collected from his home, which spurred him to drive to the public area and dispose of the rubbish in the bins there.

MPS had stated that the act of throwing rubbish in a spot designated for market traders resulted in “excessive rubbish overflow, in addition to causing inconvenience and disturbance to traders”.

Throughout June and July, MPS reported that it had issued RM1,000 compounds to several individuals who dumped rubbish in market areas.

The compounds were sent to the offenders’ place of residence upon checking their vehicle registration numbers via the Road Transport Department’s i-Sikap app.

It is a shame that residents who have to deal with poor rubbish collection by the agencies responsible are fined for disposing of it responsibly in a bin, no matter the area.

Some people don’t even dispose of their rubbish in bins but choose to dump it in a haphazard manner, threatening public health.

MPS said the public can check the rubbish collection schedule at tinyurl.com/8msk9sh5 or call KDEB Waste Management at 03-6128 3364.

However, this problem is not exclusive to Selayang, as we can see it occurring in many other neighbourhoods in the district, state and even nationwide.

Ratepayers have a right to proper rubbish collection service and the authorities must ensure it is provided in an efficient manner, not just in upscale neighbourhoods but medium and low-cost housing areas as well.

Why should keeping our backyard clean boil down to one’s socioeconomic standing?