Group offers to maintain, manage BDC recycling centre for extra income

Members of SUPP PCB and MBKS Councillors together with the scavenger workers at BDC Recycling Centre.

KUCHING, Dec 3: An association named Persatuan Pencinta Kitar Semula Taman BDC Kuching wishes to adopt and manage the BDC Recycling Centre.

Sarawak United Peoples’ Party Public Complaints Bureau (SUPP PCB) said the association that consists of a group of scavenger workers are requesting for MBKS to approve their authorisation and management over the recycling centre to help empower them in sustaining their current meagre income.

The association’s legal advisor SUPP PCB Chief Wilfred Yap and MBKS Councillor Lee Jun Choi are in agreement to assist the association in negotiating and presenting their case to MBKS for it to evaluate and consider their request.

“The members of the association have promised to follow and obey all the instruction and directives made by the officers from MBKS to clean and maintain the recycling centre.

“A decision from MBKS to allow the association to adopt and manage BDC Recycling Centre will assist the scavenger workers by empowering them to maintain and sustain their current meagre livelihood to support their families,” it said in a statement today.

SUPP PCB added the scavenger workers have been working at the recycling centre for the last seven years when they first got permission from MBKS to separate discarded clothing and other items by the public for recycling purposes.

The only source of income of theses workers is from the sales of clothing and items that they had separated and sorted out as MBKS is not paying them a daily or monthly salary.

The association was first established when the scavenger workers approached SUPP PCB for help, aimed at encouraging residents in BDC areas to recycle their waste and addressing the problem of excessive waste.

“The purpose of setting up the association is also to represent the scavenger workers to negotiate and enter into an agreement or memorandum of understanding with MBKS to allow the scavenger workers to continue to operate at BDC Recycling Centre,” it said.-DayakDaily