ON an average, Malaysians produce 0.8kg to 1.2kg of waste per day. This is the garbage that we dispose of and is collected by the solid waste management concessionaire.
In addition to this, there is also bulk waste which includes old furniture, mattresses, tyres, battery, computer, electrical waste and garden refuse.
Some residents also produce waste from the construction or renovation of their houses.
For bulk waste: The containers at the Shah Alam Community Recycling Centre. Solid waste concessionaire like Alam Flora do not collect such waste.
“Alam Flora collects domestic waste like food leftovers. They do not collect bulk waste such as mattresses and old furniture,” said Shahrin Ahmad, Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) public relations officer.
He said normally those who wished to dispose of their bulk waste like old furniture would have to call the garbage collection contractor.
The residents will be charged a fee for the collection of such items.
“Some people feel that it is a hassle to call the contractor and pay them to collect the additional garbage.
“So they find a quick solution by dumping the items along the roadside or anywhere they can,” he said.
Shahrin said although illegal dumping was not a major problem in the city, it was something that they did not want in the capital city.
He said now and then people would complain about illegal dumping near their residential areas, especially during festive seasons like Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Christmas.
He added that most families would spring clean their houses then and some would get rid of their old furniture.
“Now with Hari Raya just around the corner, we do not want people to start dumping their old furniture by the roadside or vacant land anywhere nearby.
“Instead, they can do everyone a favour by disposing of the items at our new bulk waste collection centre. There are no charges and they just bring the stuff over,” he said.
Shahrin was referring to the Community Recycling Centre, a collection centre for bulk waste in Section 17, Shah Alam.
The centre, which was set up on a 0.4ha land near the MBSA Section 17 depot, was opened for operation recently. It accepts all kinds of bulk waste, other than the normal household garbage.
Upon entering the area, one will notice several large containers for the unwanted bulk waste.
Each container is clearly labelled to help residents dispose of their garbage properly and in the right container.
Residents can throw their broken or unwanted furniture, mattresses, beds, cupboards, garments, paper, metals, construction waste, electrical appliances, computers, plastic and batteries into the bins.
“We want everyone to realise that it is everyone’s responsibility to keep the city clean and they can do this by dumping their garbage properly.
“They can do themselves and everyone good by helping us to bring their bulk waste here so that we can do the necessary with these unwanted items,” he said.
Shahrin added that the project was a collaboration between the city council, Local Government and Housing Ministry and Danish International Development Assistance (Danida).
He said Danida had allocated RM400,000 for the project and it was believed to be one of the pioneer projects for better waste management in the country.
He said although the centre still required the residents to play their role by bringing their bulk waste to the centre for disposal, the city council was looking into the possibility of providing collection at the houses later.
He said most of the items dumped would be sent for recycling while the rest would be disposed of properly.
Although we are still far from achieving the status of developed countries like Switzerland, Germany and Japan, which are ranked as the highest in the world in terms of recycling their garbage.
The project hopes to increase awareness among locals on the importance of keeping the city clean and the need to recycle.
The Shah Alam Community Recycling Centre is open from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and from 9am to 8pm on weekends.
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