KUCHING: Spring cleaning is a widely practised routine each time a festive occasion comes around. At its core it’s a great idea.
And so it is with Chinese New Year just round the corner with both revellers and fellow citizens, who were probably just waiting for a reason, busy themselves around the house cleaning up.
But unfortunately some have been making a habit out of disposing all litter at, of all places, recycling centres and Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap, for one, is non too pleased.
He gave some timely reminders after being alerted to what has been happening at the BDC Recycling Centre.
In a press release issued on Jan 17, Yap advised people not to use recycling centres to discard all unwanted items from their homes, particularly after spring cleaning in preparation for Chinese New Year.
“It is also hoped that the Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will consider deploying bulk rubbish bins at strategic areas in all housing estates where residents can dispose of their unwanted waste which are not recyclable especially during major festivals like Chinese New Year.
“The BDC recycling centre is not a rubbish dump but a facility which is operated for collection and separation of the used reusable items for resale or recycling by members of the Persatuan Pencinta Kita Semula.
“The problem that members of the association are experiencing at the BDC recycling centre is easily solvable if the public refrain from sending unwanted items that cannot be recycled,” Yap explained.
According to the press release, the association had requested Yap to highlight the situation at the BDC Recycling Centre.
It is said the objective of the association formed by a group of scavengers at the centre has always been to separate discarded clothing and other reusable items by the public for recycling purposes.
The meagre income of these individuals comes from the sale of clothing and other reusable items that they had separated and sorted out and it is their only source of income to support their families.
The members stated that the association had always diligently followed all the instructions and directives from MBKS to clean and maintain the recycling centre.
There has been an allegation that the association has not managed the recycling centre properly and the members are concerned it will have an impact on their meagre income through no fault of their own.
The root cause of the problem is that many people are using the BDC Recycling Centre to discard their rubbish.
Because of the large number of non-recyclable items sent to the recycling centre, its bulk bin has been overflowing.
“That is why it is very important for the public to ensure the items they want to dispose of at the centre are recyclables,” said the members.
