Some 1,672 illegal dumping locations were identified as a contributing factor to the worrying increase of solid waste issues in the city.
According to the Deputy Health Director of Ipoh City Council (MBI), Manisegaran Subramaniam, should the public fail to cooperate with the council, waste disposal will be a never-ending issue.
“Besides MBI’s waste management, the community plays an even more important role and responsibility towards environmental sustainability.
“Based on statistics for the last three years, around 550 tonnes of trash were collected daily. Each month, MBI collected 6,500 tonnes and in 2020, 203,000 tonnes of trash in total were disposed of.
“The towering amount of trash surely calls for a towering cost of management, which could’ve been utilised for development and improvement of city infrastructures,” he said via the ‘MBI dan Anda’ programme which was streamed live at MBI’s Facebook page today (March 4).
‘MBI dan Anda’ is held every first Thursday of the month, led by Senior Director (Administrations and Operations) of MBI, Musa Dun, as the moderator.
The first of its kind, the programme today centred around issues of waste management under MBI’s administered areas. Also present as the second special guest was Senior Assistant Engineering Director (Works and Development) of MBI, Arif Mohd Zainudin.
The programme facilitates two-way communication with the public to improve MBI’s quality of service.
There are two categories of solid wastes managed by MBI, which are the domestic category, involving house-to-house rubbish collection; and the non-domestic category, involving solid waste produced by industry and business premises.
Manisegaran added, domestic solid waste has one of the highest records of disposal, mostly stemming from illegal dumping.
“Illegal dumping is rampant as it involves surroundings of residential areas and fields.
“Everyday, 554 MBI staff comprising officers and employees go to the ground in ensuring that rubbish collection goes smoothly, 23 out of which are deployed at housing areas for domestic rubbish collection.
“The awareness among the community regarding the importance of maintaining environmental sustainability is crucial. Remove selfish attitudes and instil positive, cleanliness-loving attributes as an example for generations to come.
“Not only does illegal dumping damage the city’s image, it also raises discomfort and health issues among the community, such as the increase of dengue fever cases,” he expressed.
Rosli Mansor
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