‘Beware: You are being watched’

KUALA LUMPUR To curb the problem of illegal dumping, Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) Zone 23 councillor Lee Khai Loon has enlisted the help of the community.

Under the citizen watch programme, residents monitor their neighbourhoods for those trying to offload their rubbish there. With a mobile phone or digital camera, residents can take photographic evidence of the culprit in the act and email the photographs to mpszon23@gmail.

“The residents will act as our eyes and ears to help us to put a stop to illegal dumping,” he said.

A number of volunteers have already pledged to be on the lookout. A resident, who declined to be named, has sent pictures showing a man dumping construction debris in Desa Aman Puri.

The site has since been cleared.

“So be careful the next time you dump your rubbish at the roadside. The cameras may be clicking,” Lee warned.

Lee swung into action after he received a complaint via email. The complaint was first lodged with e-Aduan, but had resulted in no action from the MPS after a week.

Lee had the culprit clean up the site at the end of Jalan E2/9, Taman Ehsan.

A banner is hung there to remind folk not to repeat the offence.

“Our objective is not to publicly shame anyone, but to raise the awareness that one should not dump one’s rubbish anywhere one pleases. We may consider publishing the pictures online or distributing them to the press,” he said.

“We have to make cleanliness a way of life. The target should be zero dumping.”

Lee said the council would collect bulky and garden wastes from residential homes every week.

“The rubbish collection schedule will be helpful for residents to know so that they can place their waste outside their homes for collection.”

Zone 23 covers Bukit Desa, Desa Aman Puri, Sri Ehsan, Puncak Desa and Desa Jaya.

Meanwhile, Selangor state exco Elizabeth Wong said next year, the focus would be on recycling.

“A lot of rubbish — plastic bottles, containers, paper, cardboard, aluminium — can be sold to recycling companies,” she said.

Source: Stephen Ng