Promoting a culture of recycling - The Star

28 Sept 2015  By Ivan Loh

Buntong and Lim Garden residents weighing the plastic bottles at the collection centre.

THE Community Recycling Projects at Lim Garden and Buntong are now up and running.

Launched by Perak Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Rusnah Kassim recently, the two projects saw about 300 residents from each area taking part in waste separation.

Two recycling bins have already been placed – at the playground in Taman Kurin, Buntong and the field behind the Rukun Tetangga office in Lim Garden.

Collection for the recyclables would be done the second and fourth Sundays of the month in the evening.

The recycling project in Buntong was a collaboration between Ipoh City Watch (ICW), Perak Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Corporation (SWCorp) and Komuniti 1Malaysia Buntong (K1MB).

The project in Lim Garden was organised by ICW, SWCorp and the Lim Garden Rukun Tetangga as well as its Residents Association pro-tem committee.

People have already started using the recycling bin at Taman Kurin, Buntong.

The projects were started following the success of the inaugural project at Kampung Jelapang Tambahan, which was launched in April.

Its main objective was to reduce waste from going into the landfill by promoting a culture of recycling amongst the community.

K1MB secretary M Ramachandran said they were eager to start the project to keep Buntong clean.

“I’ve seen the results at Jelapang and I hope we can do the same for Buntong.

“People should start learning to separate their garbage because the waste separation law will be implemented sooner or later,” he said.

Ramachandran said it would take some time for the community to adopt the waste separation process but he felt that it was achievable.

“When people start doing it and it is beneficial to the community, others will follow.

“With more awareness, people will separate their waste on their own,” he said.

Lim Garden Residents Association pro-tem committee adviser Victor Chew said they have distributed pamphlets to the residents, informing them of the recycling project.

“About 200 to 300 households are aware.

“Proceeds from the sale of the recyclable waste will go to the Rukun Tetangga and Residents Association to conduct local activities,” he said.

Sorting things out - The Star

28 Sept 2015 By Ivan Loh

Buntong and Lim Garden residents learning how to make compost from household food waste.

THE Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Act 2007 in Perak could be implemented this year.

Perak Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Rusnah Kassim said she has set up a meeting with the Housing and Local Government Minister to discuss the agreement within the next few weeks and hoped to have it signed “soon”.

Rusnah said there were still some terms that needed to be sorted out before the agreement is signed.

“We may go with privatisation.

“However, we want to ensure that the agreement between the Federal and state would not burden the people or the local council workers,” she said after the launch of the Community Recycling Projects for Lim Garden and Buntong at the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Buntong last Saturday.

Rusnah said the state, Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Corporation (SWCorp), solid waste management company Environment Idaman Sdn Bhd (E-Idaman) and the Federal Government have already met and discussed the terms of the agreement.

Rusnah (second from left) launching the Community Recycling Project for Buntong and Lim Garden. With her are SWCorp Perak director Fatimah Ahmad (left) and Dr Ng (second from right).

“We felt that 21 years is too long for the agreement.

“We want to review the solid waste management company’s performance every three years,” she said.

Rusnah added that she has checked out E-Idaman’s performance in Kedah.

“The feedback was positive.

“The cleanliness level has improved considerably,” she said, adding that the company has been approved by the Federal Government to service states in the northern region including Perak, Perlis, Kedah and Penang.

Ipoh City Watch president Prof Dr Richard Ng said it was of utmost importance that the state privatises solid waste management.

Dr Ng said the local council lacked the expertise in garbage collection.

The residents signing the recycling campaign banner.

“The Ipoh City Council does not have enough garbage trucks.

“Contracted garbage collectors will not pick up garden waste, making it an ongoing issue,” he said.

“People need to fork out their own money to have the garden waste collected when complaints are made to the city council and this is unfair as people are already paying taxes,” he added.

Dr Ng said the city council did not have enough enforcement officers to go around to deal with those who dispose of garbage indiscriminately.

“The state needs to seriously consider privatisation.

“Once the issue with garbage, drainage and grass is solved, the city council can focus more on greening and developing the city,” he said.

“And, the people will not blame the state government for these issues anymore,” he added.

Rusnah lauded the community recycling project and said people should start learning about garbage separation.

She also said that Pasir Pinji and Manjoi could be the next areas to take on the project.

“I’ve spoken to the Pasir Pinji assemblyman about the recycling project.

“Pasir Pinji is also part of Ipoh and I think the general cleanliness of the area is also important,” she said.

Recycling Project Launch - Ipoh Echo

1 Oct 2015 by Nantini Krishnan

Ipoh City Watch (ICW) successfully launched the Buntong and Lim Garden Community Recycling Project in collaboration with the Perak Solid Waste Management and Public Cleanliness Corp (SWCorp).

The event was held at the Sri Maha Mariamman Hall, Buntong on Saturday, September 19 and was officiated by Dato’ Rosnah Kassim, the Executive Councillor for Women and Family Development, Social Welfare and Housing and Local Government. Present at the ceremony were Hajah Fatimah Ahmad, Perak SWCorp Director, Ipoh City Councillor M. Veeran, who represented the mayor and ICW President, Dr Richard Ng.

The objective of the project was to educate residents of Lim Garden and Buntong on the importance of garbage separation and recycling in order to help keep the environment clean.

Ipoh City Watch’s other initiative to reduce solid waste is by composting. A demonstration on composting was shown during the launch.The process is to convert organic wastes such as food to organic fertiliser.

According to Dr Richard Ng, the goal of community recycling is to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills by promoting the culture of recycling in the community.

“Community recycling is the best option for the public. The programme is not difficult to put to practice and is best conducted via active engagement with the end-users,” said Rusnah in her opening remarks.

Some 150 residents from both housing estates attended the launching ceremony.

SWCorp has established garbage collection points in Lim Garden and Buntong. It is a good start for residents to do their part in garbage separation which will become mandatory in the country soon.

NGOs call for engagement with ratepayers to prepare for solid waste law - The Malay Mail

15 Sept 2015  By Farahin MH Noor

IPOH, Sept 15 — Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have called for  an extensive public engagement exercise to get residents prepared for the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Act, touted to take effect within the next couple of years.

Ipoh Ratepayers and Taxpayers Association deputy president Victor Sankey said although the move to privatise waste collection was good, it could turn out to be a failure in Perak.

He said he was not aware of whether Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) had met ratepayers to explain its disposal operations. 

“As far as I know, there has been no public engagement. We are ill-informed about the solid waste management plan. No party has made any attempt to clarify the matter to the public,” he said. 

Sankey said there should be town hall meetings with NGOs, communities and residents associations to ensure efficiency of implementation once the Act was enforced.

“Such meetings will help iron out ambiguities, answer inquiries as well as entertain proposals raised by the ratepayers,” he said.

Perak Consumers Association president Abdul Rahman Said Alli said the implementation of the Act would encourage recycling. However, the implementation mode was wrong, and it should not be  profit-based.

“The company’s priority should be to serve the people because we, the taxpayers, are their biggest funder,” he said.

Abdul Rahman said he was not against privatisation of services, provided they were carried out in accordance with the law.

“Both the state government and SWCorp must declare the operational cost to the people so they can see the value for money that they will receive,” he said.

Ipoh City Watch (ICW) president Dr Richard Ng said the state government should adopt the Act.

“The people have been yearning to have good waste management services. ICW urges the state government to go for it,” he said.

“The current waste management system is no longer efficient. There are over 2,000 illegal dumpsites in Ipoh alone, and they make up about two-thirds of the whole of Perak.”

Ng said by signing the waste disposal agreement, the local councils could hand over the waste management service to efficient and effective parties.

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.

Revisiting Lim Garden the second time within a week

Jan 18, 2105

This morning I made my second visit to Lim Garden in Ipoh to meet residents and to find out if actions have been taken by Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh on complaints made last week 11 Jan 2015 by residents concerning the illegal dumpings by unscrupulous residents.

We we told that the dumpsite was cleared by MBI the very next day. Congrats to MBI for their quick action. 

I brought Johanna Sarah the MBI officer who was in charged of complaint to see for herself the situation there. I must say I am satisfied with the situations but feel angry because the cleared dumpsite is filled with new garbage. What kind of mentality is this? 

Thus we are suggesting to MBI to discard this bad habit, a sign board be erected and that the place is planted with nice trees with a new landscape.