Malaysia: Household Waste Segregation To Start In September

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- The household waste segregation system will be implemented in stages starting September next year, Local Government and Housing Minister Chor Chee Heung said. This is in line with the enforcement of the Solid Waste and Public Cleaning Act or Act 672 and the privatisation of solid waste management and public cleaning work during the period. For a start, he said, the system would be implemented in such cities and towns as Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Alor Star (northern Kedah state's capital) where the concessionaire would carry out recycled waste collection on a weekly basis. "At the same time we will also encourage recycling and when the time comes, say in two or three years when there is sufficient awareness among the society on the need to segregate their household waste, we will make the system compulsory and those not adhering to it will be fined," he said. Speaking to reporters after declaring open the National Recycling Day here, he said if the people were able to put the system into practice, the 25,000 tonnes of waste generated daily can be reduced by up to 40 per cent. Earlier in his speech, Chor said of the 166 waste disposal sites in the country, only eight had a sanitary status, making the rest more potentially harmful to the environment. He said these sites had also become hotspots for the spreading of vector-borne diseases and posed a threat to public health. "We should adopt a responsible attitude and play our role in tackling solid waste disposal problems by practising the 3R concept or reduce, reuse and recycle," he said. Chor also launched a toll-free line, 1-800-88-7472 (SISA), which allows consumers in all states in the peninsula, except for those in Selangor, Perak and Penang to report waste disposal issues. He also launched the RoadTour 1Malaysia, in collaboration with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), to promote recycling throughout the peninsula for a week from Sunday. -- BERNAMA