New communal bin at Manggatal area
Published on: Saturday, May 08, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
City Hall placed a new bin in Taman Richdar at the beginning of May.
A new communal bin has been placed at a Manggatal neighbourhood as the previous one has deteriorated from years of use.A spokesman for City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Department said a check revealed that the latter could no longer be salvaged.
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“Similar replacements will be within our rating area as part of our plan to phase out communal bins which are beyond repair,” he said.
He said a tender had been called for this work which began earlier this year with the bins in the central business district for the City being changed.
“After focusing on Kota Kinabalu, we set about replacing the bins in the smaller towns including Telipok, Manggatal, Inanam, Foh Sang, Lido, Sembulan and Tanjung Aru,” he said.
The bin at the junction Taman Richdar could no longer stand up right as one of the wheels was missing.
“Now, we are turning our attention to the neighbourhoods within our rating area.”
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NOLIN of Manggatal decried the condition of the single communal bin at the junction leading to Taman Richdar, saying that the receptacle was in a “bad” state.
She said the bin could no longer stand upright as one of the wheels was missing.
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One part of the plastic was also cracked, with the damaged sections being held together by wire-joints, according to her.
She said, due to these defects, the bin could not properly contain the refuse thrown inside.
“Some of the 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 area,” she said.
“When they fail to do this, the remnants left behind makes the collection-point look disorderly.”
Nolin was at a loss to understand why City Hall was not bothering to remove the remnants.
“The bits of rubbish lying here and there are unsightly. This will give those visiting the neighbourhood for the first time a negative feeling about the type of people who live here.
“This nuisance might be minimised if only the bin was in a better shape.”
She shared her displeasure about the deteriorating condition of the receptacle 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.
One section was cracked and had been mended with wire-joint.
“This individual apparently told him that we would just have to make to do with the bin that was there.
“My friend was made to understand that the agency did not have the means to get a replacement.”
Nolin hoped the authority would reconsider this stance and “retire” those bins which were too far gone, like the one in Taman Richdar.
She also urged City Hall to weigh up the possibility of placing another one of these receptacles at the collection point for the neighbourhood.
“I suspect that the single communal bin may not be enough to contain the amount of domestic waste being generated from the many households here.
“This could be another reason for why the rubbish is haphazardly strewn around the collection point. The bin may already be full.
The spokesman said City Hall would consider the feasibility of having another communal bin placed at the neighbourhood.
“But this will only be done once we have finished replacing all those bins which are no longer fit to be used,” he said.
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.
“Very often one or more wheels are removed. If not, then the body of the bins is damaged,” another spokesman said at the time,” the spokesman said.
He said, where possible, City Hall staff had taken to repairing the bins themselves.
“With each a new communal bin costing more than RM 1,000, 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.”
Meanwhile, the spokesman urged rate-payers with individual bins to ensure that these receptacles met the agency’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 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.”
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.”
When it came to bulky waste, the spokesman explained that the onus was on rate-payers to dispose of such garbage, including pieces of unwanted furniture, at the dumpsite 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 those caught haphazardly dumping their bulky waste in the common areas near them risked being penalised by City Hall.
“The culprits risked being compounded for this inconsiderate behaviour.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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