Nuisance of rubbish bins at open spaces
Published on: Thursday, June 16, 2022
By: Sidney Skinner
A City Hall staff points at the 4 communal bins left on the verge near this T-junction in Luyang.
The management for a Luyang club-cum-restaurant and some Penampang homeowners have been instructed to place their rubbish bins outside their front gates by City Hall and the District Council respectively.The bins for the former had become a nuisance to the public in the area as they were apparently being left near an open space metres away from the premises.
ADVERTISEMENT
Some of the latter, on the other hand, were locking up their bins inside their compound which made it difficult for their refuse to be removed.
A City Hall spokesman said a preliminary check by personnel with its Solid Waste Department found that the club had encroached on a section of the road-reserve near the T-junction leading to its premises.
““We suspect that the management may have set up the rubbish collection point on this verge as it didn’t want the club’s compound to be soiled with leachate,” he said.
“The firm likely wanted to avoid the inconvenience of constantly having to hose down the road near the club’s buildings.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Leachate is the foul smelling liquid produced when garbage is compressed.
The bins were eventually placed outside the fence for the club.
He said the management was informed that the bins were illegally occupying government land which fell under the agency’s purview.
ADVERTISEMENT
As such, the company was asked to have these receptacles stationed beside the perimeter fence for the club, according to him.
He said a notice to this affect was given to one of the firm’s staff earlier this month.
“Further action can be taken – under City Hall’s Anti-Litter By-laws 2005 and Hygiene and Conservancy By-laws 1984 – if the management fails to comply.
“We will periodically keep an eye on the common areas in this part of Luyang to ensure that this problem does not recur.”
When asked whether the club had a bin-centre to house its bins, the spokesman said the agency would speak to management about setting up this installation.
“We will have to calculate the amount of waste generated daily by the activities at the premises.
“This will allow us to advise the company on the number of bins it needs.”
This information would be used to determine the size of the bin-centre which the firm would need to build, according to him.
City Hall was responding to a complaint about the nuisance posed by the leachate which pooled on the road near the T-junction.
RAJ, who lives in Taman Fu Yen, said four of these receptacles had been placed on the verge there for some time.
On top of being an eye-sore, he bemoaned the stench coming from the liquid which drained from the bins.
“Me and my neighbours have to keep the doors and windows closer to the junction closed to prevent the stink from getting indoors,” he said.
He voiced his concern about the negative impact this nasty odour was likely to have on rate-payers.
“I fear at some point that the stink might lead to a disease outbreak of some kind in my neighbourhood.
“I have already begun to notice potholes forming along the edges of the road where the leachate collects.”
Meanwhile, homeowners in Taman Hiburan have been reminded to leave their bins outside their gates to facilitate the District Council’s efforts to clear their rubbish.
A spokesman for the agency said a check revealed that some residents were keeping their bins inside their compounds.
“Our workers are unable to remove their refuse because they cannot reach these bins,” he said.
“To make matters worse, these rate-payers, then, turn round and claim that our staff are not doing their job,” he said.
CHOW of Penampang claimed that her bin had not been emptied for close to a fortnight.
“I have seen maggots crawling among the bagged waste which has begun to reek,” she said.
She said flies had been buzzing about the bin and strays tipped it over every other day, in their search for food.
Despite having contacted the Council several times about the disruption in the collection service, she said no action had been taken.
“At one stage, the staff I spoke to told me that the compactor which usually comes to the neighbourhood was out of order.”
Chow said it was unfair to ignore her pleas as she always settled her house assessment promptly.
“I am basically paying for a service which is not forthcoming.”
She provided Hotline with the location of her house, as well as the date when her garbage was last cleared.
The spokesman said a check of its records revealed that there had not been any breakdown in its collection at the time.
“Under normal circumstances, the bins at housing areas, under our jurisdiction, are emptied on a weekly basis,” he said.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
