Landed homeowners in Penang must separate their waste from Jan 1, or else - Star Metro News

19 Sept 2018

Filepic of a waste collection truck making its round in picking up separated recyclable waste from a residential area in SS20, Petaling Jaya.

THE waste separation at source policy will now be extended to residential property owners in Penang and those who fail to do so will be slapped with a compound from next year onwards. 

Penang Housing, Town, Country Planning and Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said this was to ensure residents staying in landed properties separate the recyclable and non-recyclable items.

“The decision was made two weeks ago. Residential landed property owners were not issued compounds when we started enforcing the waste separation at source policy on June 1, last year.

“From Jan 1, we will start issuing compounds,” he said at Komtar on Friday.

The separation at source policy against commercial properties was enforced from Jan 1 this year.

Jagdeep said there was a moratorium on the enforcement of waste separation for residential landed properties when it was enforced last year.

“They were given ample time, so they now have the next few months to start separating their recyclables and non-recyclables before we enforce it.

“The local council enforcement team would be conducting checks on residential properties from now to December but compounds would be issued from January onwards,” he added.

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/09/19/landed-house-owners-turn-to-comply-waste-separation-policy-to-be-enforced-for-householders-in-penang/

Yeoh Say Bah is unsung hero no more - The Malaysian Insider

Sept 22, 2015 by Jerry Francis

Retired lorry driver Yeoh Say Bah, 75, whose selflessness led to him becoming a local hero in Taman Tinggi and the surrounding housing estates, has won kudos from the establishment, too.

Last Saturday, he was presented with a certificate of appreciation from state Women, Family, Community Welfare Development and Housing committee chairman Datuk Rusnah Kassim at the launch of Buntong and Lim Garden’s 3Rs project at Indian Recreation Club in Buntong, Ipoh.

Yeoh also received a basket of organic vegetables, a painting made of recycled materials and a bag of goodies.

Earlier, a video clip was shown of him performing the daily chores he had taken upon himself at the playground and jogging track near his house in Taman Tinggi.

Every morning, from Monday to Friday, weather permitting, he is seen with a cangkul and rack trimming the grass and generally tidying up the place.

The Malaysian Insider reported in July the story of the man whose unusual activities were at first regarded with suspicion and mocked by the neighbours.

One day, more than a year ago, he had decided to trim the grass around the track. While he was at it, he thought, he might as well pick up the litter and make sure that the drains were unclogged.

It became a regular routine. As other senior citizens were taking a morning walk, he was attending to the playground.

In the beginning, everyone thought Yeoh was eccentric. Some ridiculed him and asked whether he was being paid by the city council.

When they realised that he was doing it for the simple pleasure of seeing the place spick and span, they warmed up and become admiring and respectful.

They would often stop to talk with the man, who was always ready for a chat.

A whip-round was even held to to get him a new hoe.

Regarding the presentation, the modest Yeoh said he had been reluctant but was persuaded to attend when told that he would serve to inspire the people he met.

“I hope I can inspire them to also keep the neighbourhood clean and tidy,” he said.

Fed up with illegal dumps, group takes on waste recycling - The Malaysian Insider

Sept 25 2015 By Jerry Francis

Concerned by the mammoth problem of illegal dumps in Ipoh, non-governmental organisation Ipoh City Watch and waste management company SWCorp Perak have joined forces to encourage residents to recycle their solid waste.

“It is part of our greater aim to reduce illegal dumping and solid waste materials being sent to landfills,” said Victor Chew, secretary of Ipoh City Watch.

Encouraged by the response to its first “3R Project” in Jelapang Tambahan, two similar schemes were set up last weekend in Buntong and Lim Garden, launched by Perak Women, Family, Community Welfare Development, Housing and Local Government chairman Datuk Rusnah Kassim, at Dewan Sri Maha Mariamman, Jalan Sungai Pari, Buntong.

More such schemes will gradually be set up all over the city and other parts of the state.

“The scheme in Jalapang Tambahan, which was set up in April, has been a success,” said Chew. “There were 12 illegal dumpsites in the area but now there are barely a handful.

“To date, the residents of Jelapang Tambahan have collected 4,000kg of recyclables plastics, paper and metal waste for sale.”

In addition, this project also encourages the conversion of food waste into compost, thus further reducing 43% of solid waste produced by each home.

Compost can be used as organic fertilizer to produce toxin free vegetables and fruits, promoting a healthier lifestyle.

Illegal dumps, created by indiscriminate dumping of all kinds of waste along roads in residential areas and in secluded places in most parts of the city, have been posing a health problem for many years.

It is estimated there are more than 15,000 such sites throughout the city. Ipoh City Council appears to be helpless as each time it clears an illegal dump a new site will emerge somewhere else.

Mayor after mayor has come in with a determination to solve the problem, but left without achieving it.

What waste separation, ask city folk as scheme becomes compulsory today - Malaysian Insider

1 Sept 2015

Mandatory waste separation at source starts in many parts of Malaysia today, including the capital, but a large number of folk in Kuala Lumpur are ignorant of the scheme and their role in it.

Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association president Datuk M. Ali said there had been little to no information to aid awareness from the authorities.

“Residents are left in the dark. Those who do know about the waste separation scheme don’t know where to start and others just do not know that it is now mandatory,” he said.

Ali said the authorities had done a poor job of properly raising awareness and had only a few days ago delivered brochures about the waste separation scheme.

“It was only on August 27 that Alam Flora contacted me to discuss the way forward on reaching the residents to disseminate information.

“It's sad that those in charge had sat on it until as late as August 31, instead of reaching out to the rakyat well in advance to explain the format and procedure.

“I have always been pushing for the government agencies and service providers to stop merely ‘sloganeering’ but to ensure actual delivery,” he said.

Ali said while he empathised with Alam Flora’s need for the residents to cooperate in the scheme, the information flyers were  only distributed a few ago before September 1.

A meeting between Alam Flora and Bukit Bandar Raya residents has been tentatively scheduled for September 13, he said.

Kepong Community Centre head Yee Poh Ping said while the waste separation initiative was a positive move, only time would tell if the people would take to it.

“Enforcement through fines will only start next year so maybe it is expected that it will take a few months for the people to adapt,” he said.

However, Yee said, the people of Kepong had long been separating their recyclable waste.

“The people are used to keeping their old newspapers or plastics for the men who come around in their lorries,” he said.

Bandar Baru Residents’ Association secretary Prem Kumar Nair said it would take time for the people to adopt the new practice.

“Right now, many are still uncertain about what they need to do. It’s new so it’s understandable that it will take time to work,” he said.

Prem said Alam Flora would also be meeting with Bandar Baru residents on September 13 to discuss on the scheme.

“It is a good initiative and we will see how it goes at the meeting. If 100 residents show up, the meeting would be a success,” he said.

Meanwhile, those living in highrises are unsure how they are affected by the waste separation scheme.

“I have heard about it (waste separation), but we have not been informed by the management. They should be the ones coordinating this,” said Brendan Wong, who lives in a condominium in Desa Petaling.

Joshua Bryan, who lives in a condominium in Jalan Klang Lama, also said he had not been informed about the mandatory waste separation.

“I have not been told anything about this. There were no notices displayed,” he said.

The Malaysian Insider reported that SW Corp had been tasked to work with residents’ associations, Rukun Tetangga and Joint Management Bodies (JMBs) towards successful implementation of the scheme.

“The main thing that the public has to remember is that it is a 2+1 system, meaning two collection days for residual waste and one day for recyclable, garden and bulk wastes,” said National Solid Waste Management Department director-general Mohd Rosli Abdullah.

Rosli had conceded that implementing the scheme was “a bit of a challenge” in non-landed and high-rise buildings.

“We do provide three types of bins for those who live in highrise buildings and it is the responsibility of the JMB to ensure that the residents separate their waste accordingly.

“Once we start to issue compounds, the JMB will be penalised if the waste is not separated.” he had said.

Under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007, households in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah are required to separate their waste.

Beginning June 1 next year, households that do not separate their waste will be compounded RM50 for the first offence, and RM100 and RM500 for subsequent offences.

If the compounds are not paid, the offender can be taken to court to face a maximum fine of RM1,000. – September 1, 2015.

Ipoh Miliki 1 Bilion Tan Sampah Menjelang 2020 - Perak News

24 Jun 2015

Bayangkan bandaraya Ipoh yang "dihiasi" lebih daripada 1 billion tan longgokan sampah sarap menjelang tahun 2020.

Mungkin mengejutkan bagi sesetengah pihak namun inilah situasi yang akan terjadi di bandaraya warisan ini sekiranya masyarakat masih leka terhadap pengurusan pelupusan sampah yang efisien.

Pengerusi Ipoh City Watch, Prof Madya Dr Richard Ng berkata, jika dibiarkan berlarutan maka hasrat murni untuk melihat Ipoh sebagai bandaraya pilihan untuk didiami akan terbantut berikutan kesedaran sivik masyarakat masih berada di tahap yang rendah.

"Setakat ini, ini rekod hasil kerjasama bersama SWCorp menunjukkan sekitar 1,629 lokasi longgokan sampah haram telah dikenalpasti di sekitar Ipoh dan masalahnya sisa-sisa serta bahan buangan harian dari setiap pelusuk rumah akan dihantar ke satu-satunya tapak pelupusan sampah di Ulu Papan," katanya kepada PerakNews.

Beliau ditemui selepas mengetuai Program Kitar Semula Komuniti Jelapang Tambahan yang dianjurkan bersama SWCorp dan Rukun Tetangga Jelapang baru-baru ini.

Menurutnya, secara purata seramai 750,000 orang masing-masing akan menghasilkan purata sekitar 0.7 kg sampah setiap hari, justeru membawa kepada jumlah sebanyak 15,750 tan sampah terkumpul pada setiap bulan di Ipoh.

Kitar Semula Penyelesaian Terbaik Dalam Pelupusan Sampah

Menurut Richard, langkah terbaik dalam menangani masalah longgokan sampah haram dan memastikan tahap kualiti kebersihan bandaraya Ipoh sentiasa terjamin adalah dengan perlaksanaan kitar semula.

Justeru, ICW telah mengambil inisiatif untuk melancarkan program kitar semula dengan melibatkan 250 buah rumah di sekitar kawasan Jelapang agar mereka menjadi contoh kepada masyarakat setempat yang lain.

Berpegang kepada prinsip " Komuniti Kami, Tanggungjawab Kami' Ipoh City Watch komited dalam menjadikan Ipoh sebagai lokasi yang bersih daripada pencemaran sampah sarap dan keadaan persekitaran yang kotor.

Menurutnya, program tersebut telah dilancarkan oleh Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat, Datuk Rusnah Kasim pada 4 April lepas dan mendapat sokongan penuh daripada kerajaan negeri dalam meningkatkan kesedaran sivik di kalangan komuniti.

Richard berkata sejak pelancaran program tersebut pada April lepas pihaknya telah berjaya mengumpulkan sebanyak 1,376 kg bahan kitar semula yang terdiri daripada plastik, besi dan kertas.

Ini juga bermakna bahawa kadar kitar semula melalui program yang dijalankan setiap 2 minggu sekali itu telah mencapai 13 peratus berbanding kadar kitar semula kebangsaan sebanyak 10 peratus.

"ICW akan melaksanakan intervensi tambahan seperti memberikan advokasi sivik dari rumah ke rumah, melaksanakan seminar kesedaran mengenai faedah kitar semula, pengasingan sampah mengikut kategori, menubuhkan Briged Belia di dalam komuniti untuk membantu kelancaran program serta mengadakan pertandingan di antara setiap kawasan dan yang terakhir mendidik komuniti mengenai cara pengkomposan bahan makanan," katanya lagi.

Faedah Pengkomposan Sisa Makanan dan Pelupusan Organik

Menurutnya, masyarakat di sekitar Jelapang telah dibimbing mengenai cara pengkomposan sisa organik yang menyumbang kepada 47 peratus daripada sampah sarap dan menjadikannya sebagai baja kepada tanaman sayuran di sekitar kediaman.

"Program tersebut telah dibimbing oleh pakar daripada pihak SWCorp yang berkongsi mengenai penyatuan enzim gula dan garam dan dicampur dengan tanah hitam sebagai ejen kompos manakala Eddie Chew pula telah menyediakan enzim tersedia dan mengaplikasikan enzim ke atas sisa organic tanpa penggunaan tanah.

"Seorang pakar organic, Mr Martin Wallen dari Australia pula mendidik mereka untuk menanam sayur dengan menggunakan sisa organic yang terkumpul di dalam bekas,"katanya lagi.

Dr Richard berkata, sebanyak 40 hingga 50 peratus akan dapat dikitar semula dan tidak dihantar ke tapak pelupusan sampah menjelang tahun 2020 sekiranya langkah awal diambil segera.

"Terlalu banyak longgokan sampah haram di sekitar bandaraya Ipoh tersayang justeru prinsip ' Reduce,Reuse dan Recycle' harus diaplikasikan segera jika kita masih berniat untuk memberikan bumi hijau bagi generasi masa depan," ujarnya.

Public still ignorant of waste separation rule beginning 1 Sept 2015 - The Malaysian Insider

27 May 2015

Effective September 1, Malaysian households in the states that have adopted the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) are set to see a whole new dimension in how they will be disposing of their household waste. 

The new approach in solid waste management will be implemented in stages in states and territories that have adopted the Act, namely Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah.

All this while, households and business premises have been discarding recyclables and non-recyclables together, but come September 1 that will no longer be the case.

Instead, recyclable and non-recyclable waste will have to be separated at the point of origin if the waste is to be collected by solid waste management concessionaires. 

And no one living in the states that has agreed to implement the Act will be exempted from the duty of separating recyclable solid waste from non recyclable waste.

Though the Act is seen as an effort to be more environmental friendly, are the people ready for this?

The separation of waste, which is the foundation of the recycling process, has gone through extensive awareness campaigns since it was launched in 1996 and again in 2000.

Yet Malaysians remain in the dark over the new approach with only 10.5% of Malaysians practising recycling of waste.

"What is waste separation? I know nothing about the Act being implemented in September".

"Is it true that action will be taken on home and business owners if they don't separate the waste? It feels like a burden".

"Why there has not been any news on this new regulation? I have no qualms about following the new rule as recycling is already practised in my household".

These are among the responses received by Bernama recently when members of the public were asked on their preparedness to recycle in line with the implementation of the Act.

A random survey on housewives, business owners and passers-by generally indicated that the majority are unaware of the new ruling.

Some of the respondents were stunned, some were shocked and some questioned why there has been little information on the implementation of Act 672.

The owner of a tailoring outlet, KBM Collections, Zulkifli Ismail, 59, said there should be an aggressive publicity blitz through various channels on the new waste collection method, like how it was done for the Goods and Services Tax (GST). 

More needs to be done to create greater awareness on the matter as there are only three months before separating waste is made mandatory.

Surprisingly, though Malaysians are aware of recycling, the level of recycling done in the country is still low when compared with the developed nations, such as Japan and Germany.

A study carried out by the Solid Waste And Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) found that public awareness on recycling was relatively high.

"The study conducted in 2009 revealed that 89% of the 55,000 respondents stated that they were aware of 3R practices. Unfortunately, they have not made it a culture," said SWCorp chief executive officer Datuk Ab Rahim Md Noor.

SWCorp is responsible for ensuring an efficient and integrated solid waste management service, as well as providing satisfaction to their consumers.

So where did things go wrong?

Associate Professor Dr Latifah Abd Manaf said various factors restricted the culturalisation of waste separation to the point that it is found unappealing to the society.

This includes recycling facilities in non-strategic areas, said the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Environmental Studies lecturer.

"The recycling bins are usually located in shopping malls and venues not near to housing areas. It is rare to see such bins in housing areas," she said.

This may prove to be a hassle for many, but she also said that the lack of awareness on the implementation of the Act could also be due to people's indifference towards cleanliness.

Meanwhile, Ab Rahim said having a third-world mentality also contributed to the problem.

As the head of SWCorp, he is set work with his employees to tackle the poor attitude that most Malaysians have regarding cleanliness.

"SWCorp has taken efforts to ensure cleanliness, however, the efforts have yet to yield results because the public mindset has not changed," Ab Rahim said.

Though reality is a bitter pill to swallow, it is hard to escape the fact that the community is still bound to a culture that does not care about environmental conservation.

Their mentality is that cleaning the filth is the sole responsibility of the authorities, though they should realise that as the biggest contributors of waste, the public should play a role in green initiatives.

Not only is the level of recycling low, but some show no shame in littering and polluting public areas.

"They think that it is all right because someone is paid to clean up the mess," said 61-year-old Fatimah Kolop who has worked 20 years as a cleaner.

She agreed that there were still many Malaysians who could not care less about cleanliness.

"There are times when I just finished sweeping, only to find trash piled up at the stairs shortly after. They only want their homes clean but they don't care about the area around them and this exposes them to diseases," she added.

Leptospirosis and dengue are among diseases that thrived in dirty environments, which prove the lack of concern for hygiene and cleanliness among Malaysians.

Maybe it is time for enforcement to be carried out to teach the people to be more responsible in managing the waste they produce.

This is why Act 672 is seen as one of the best methods to discipline the society and instil in them civic consciousness and a first-world mentality.

For this purpose, SWCorp will not only focus on action but will also approach the community through other methods.

This includes organising the Jelajah Mata Hati programme, 3R Marathon and Carnival, as well as interviews on television, radio and newspapers to reach out to the public.

Ab Rahim added that they would also embark on more aggressive publicity efforts.

The Mind Transformation Plan Towards a Clean and Beautiful Nation 2015-2020 was recently launched in view of how serious the cleanliness problem had become.

Six objectives and 24 strategies were outlined in the comprehensive plan to shape the people into making cleanliness a part of their culture.

This includes introducing the C4E strategy which stands for communicate, educate, engage, enforce and empower.

Notices will be issued to those who fail to separate their waste in the first three months after the Act is implemented, but action will be taken if they still refuse to do so as required under Act 672. – Bernama, May 27, 2015.

Recyclables 3rd Collection Report from our Community Recycling Project in Taman Jelapang as at 3rd May 2015

4 May 2015

On 3rd May 2015, Ipoh City Watch (ICW) together with Rukun Tetangga (RT) Jelapang held its 3rd collection day for recyclables from residents involved in the project. A banner was erected at the collection centre. Few days earlier, the committee members of RT Jelapang headed by Mr. Thinakaran have distributed leaflets to remind residents about the collection day and collection centre.

The President of ICW, Dr. Richard Ng and Mdm Tina Leong visited the collection centre to monitor the progress of the project. The collection centre located at Lorong 6, Taman Jelapang Baru, was mend by Mdm Linda.

The company appointed to collect the recyclables were also present. Generally it was very encouraging to see the support shown by the residents. We can see lesser garbage dumped illegally due to the message we inserted in the leaflets distributed to the over 200 houses.

The following are the reports after the 3rd collection:

Table 1: Total amount of Recyclables Collected

Table 1 above shows the amount of Plastic, Metal and Paper collected since April 4 2015. A total of 98.5kg of plastic value at RM59.70, 502.5kg of metal value at RM233.60 and 355kg of paper value at RM87.90 were collected to date. This means that a total of 956 kg of garbage have been saved from the 12 illegal dumping ground in Taman Jelapang which has been identified. It also means that the residents have earned a total of RM381.20 from this project which can help supplement their household income.

Table 2: Trend of recyclables collected

Table 2 above shows the trend of recyclables collected over the three collection periods.

Table 3: Amount collected in Kg

Table 4: Amount collected in RM

Table 3 and 4 shows the amount collected to date in Kg and RM. There is an upward trend in the collection of recyclables in RM but downward trend in Kg. More needs to be done to educate the residents. This will be done through a campaign ICW will undertake together with RT Jelapang and SWCorp Perak on May 17.

To date a total of 956kg recyclables have been collected over a period of 5 weeks. This is equivalent to 956/6,250 or 15.3% compared to the national rate at 11%.

Congrats to the residents of Taman Jelapang and also RT Jelapang.

Separate garbage from September or face fines - The Star

April 19, 2015

PUTRAJAYA: Households are urged to prepare themselves for the mandatory practice of separating garbage effective September.

Notices will be issued to those who flouted the rule starting September and a maximum compound of RM1,000 would be imposed on errant household by 2016.

Solid Waste and Solid Cleansing Management Corp (SWCorp) chief executive officer Datuk Ab Rahim Md Noor said every family member should know how to dispose garbage properly.

"Waste isolation will involve the disposal of food waste for the first two days of collection every week and the third day collection is for recyclable garbage," he told reporters at a 3R (Reduce Reuse Recycle) marathon run here.

"A company has been appointed to collect garbage in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Perlis. They will also observe and note down household who flout the rule," he said.

About 5,000 participants took part in the event, organised in conjunction with the two-day 3R carnival by SWCorp.

It was part of an awareness campaign on the importance of 3R practice and looking after the cleanliness of the environment for the sake of the future generation. - Bernama