City Hall to replace bins beyond repair
Published on: Wednesday, December 02, 2020
By: Sidney Skinner
City Hall might replace this communal bin in Manggatal next year.
CITY Hall (DBKK) is set to replace any communal bins which are beyond repair around the State Capital, starting with those in the central business district.A spokesman for the agency’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) said a tender had been called for this work which would be carried out in stages beginning next year.
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“Once we are done in Kota Kinabalu, we will change the bins in the smaller towns, including Telipok, Manggatal, Inanam, Foh Sang, Lido, Sembulan and Tanjung Aru,” he said.
“Finally, we will turn our attention to the neighbourhoods within our rating area.”
The authority has previously spoken out about the vandalism being perpetrated on many of the communal bins in the city.
The agency admitted that it was facing an uphill task maintaining these receptacles because of this.
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“Very often one or more wheels are removed. If not, then the body of the bins is damaged,” another spokesman said at the time.
He said, where possible, City Hall staff had taken to repairing the bins themselves.
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“With each new communal bin costing more than RM1,000, it would prove too costly to keep having them replaced.
“This is only done when a bin can no longer be saved and it becomes absolutely necessary to do so.”
He said the relevant section had been informed about the damage to public property.
“It is, however, difficult to catch the mischief makers red-handed as the city encompasses an extensive area and our officers cannot be everywhere at once.”
On a complaint from a Manggatal ratepayer about the poor condition of the communal bin servicing Taman Richdar and presence of bulky waste piled up at the garbage collection point for the neighbourhood, the spokesman with the SWMD said City Hall had taken steps to address both irregularities.
“We will consider the possibility of changing the bin when we get round to assessing the state of these receptacles in the residential areas under our care,” he said.
He said the agency’s staff had been unable to determine who had dumped the unwanted furniture and empty boxes next to the bin.
“The culprits risked being compounded for this inconsiderate behaviour,” he said.
Under City Hall’s Anti-Litter Bylaws, those caught haphazardly disposing of their waste can be compounded between RM100 and RM500.
In extreme cases, they could be brought to court where they risk having to pay a maximum fine of RM5,000.
The spokesman appealed to the public staying in the area to assist the agency in nabbing the errant individuals.
He said City Hall workers had since removed the items on humanitarian grounds.
“One of our lorries was deployed on a one-off basis for this purpose,” he said.
The spokesman explained that the onus was on rate-payers to dispose of any bulky waste, including pieces of unwanted furniture, at the dump site for the State Capital.
He said they should hire a private contractor to transport these items to Kayu Madang.
“If they are at a loss on how to go about this, they can consult us for help,” he said.
He also urged ratepayers with individual bins to ensure that these receptacles met City Hall’s requirements.
“Homeowners are required to get a bin with a lid which has a capacity of 120 litres for their premises,” he said.
“The lid should fit properly around the top of the bin. This is important to prevent rain-water from getting into the receptacle and, later, contributing to a leachate nuisance when the garbage inside is compressed.”
A lorry was sent to facilitate efforts to clear the bulky waste discarded at the garbage collection point for the neighbourhood.
The spokesman said the agency was cracking down on those who failed to obtain an appropriate rubbish bin to contain their household waste.
“A compound of up to RM500 can be imposed on errant rate-payers under our Conservancy and Hygiene Bylaw.”
PHILO of Manggatal decried the state of the communal bin at the junction leading to Taman Richdar, saying that the receptacle was in a “bad” state.
She said sections of the plastic were cracked or missing, so much so that the bin could not properly contain the refuse thrown inside.
“Because of this, some of rubbish inevitably falls out onto the ground, giving the garbage collectors more work to do as they have to pick up the bits strewn about the bin-centre,” he said.
“When they fail to do this, the remnants left behind in the area makes the area look disorderly.”
She said, off late, bits of unwanted furniture and empty boxes had been added to this mess.
Philo was at a loss to understand why City Hall had failed to remove the bulky waste left around the refuse collection point.
“The waste lying around the bin is unsightly and will give those visiting the area for the first time a negative feeling about the type of people who live here.
“I first noticed this refuse more than 10 days ago. I cannot understand why the agency’s workers have ignored this mess.”
She shared her displeasure about this situation with one of her neighbours.
“He too was upset about this matter. He told me that, at one stage, he reported his observations to City Hall and was shocked by the response from the staff who took his call.
“This individual apparently told him that he would just have to make do with the bin that was there.
“My friend was told that the agency did not have the means to have it replaced with a new one.”
Philo hoped the authority would reconsider this stance and have those bins replaced.
She also urged City Hall to weigh up the possibility of placing another one of these receptacles at the collection point for the neighbourhood.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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