KUCHING: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) will pursue legal action against residents caught illegally dumping waste,
MBKS mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said the council had cleared a site of dumped waste only for the same offenders to return and dump again days later, prompting the decision to pursue legal action.
Wee said repeated warnings had already been issued, particularly with the dry season raising fire risks from discarded items such as cigarette butts, adding that illegal dumping also tarnished the city’s image.
“We have received information from someone who is very good, in which they have taken photographs and video evidence. We also have all the plate numbers, which we are going to take the culprits to court,” he said when met by the reporters here today (Sept 8).
He thanked members of the public for acting as the council’s “eyes and ears”, noting that MBKS could not monitor every location around the clock.
Wee urged residents to store garden waste properly for scheduled collection or arrange additional bins from Trienekens instead of dumping waste on land that did not belong to them.
On surveillance measures, he said MBKS would prioritise CCTV installations in residential areas before extending coverage to known dumping hotspots.
One such hotspot near a factory area had been identified as among the worst affected, he said, urging businesses to ensure their workers disposed of waste responsibly.
Wee said waste collection services were already available to business operators for a fee, making illegal dumping unnecessary.
Asked whether enforcement or education was more effective, he said changing public attitudes would have to begin from a young age, particularly through schools, and could take five to 10 years to become firmly established.
However, he stressed that the long-term nature of public education did not mean current enforcement efforts should be delayed.
Wee added that MBKS was also studying waste reduction measures on an area-by-area basis, including the possibility of converting food waste into fertiliser.
