KUCHING, Jan 17: The BDC Recycling Centre at Taman BDC is a recycling centre, not a rubbish dump site, asserts Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap.
Yap stated in a statement issued today that the BDC Recycling Centre is not a rubbish dump site, but rather a facility operated by members of the Pencinta Kitar Semula Taman BDC for the collection and separation of used reusable items for resale or recycling.
He emphasised that the root cause of the problem is that many irresponsible members of the public are using the BDC Recycling Centre to dispose of their unwanted rubbish.
“The problem facing members of the association at the BDC Recycling Centre can easily be resolved if members of the public refrain from sending unwanted items that cannot be recycled.
“The excessive non-recyclable items sent to the BDC Recycling Centre have caused the bulk bin at the centre to be overwhelmed with rubbish.
“That is why it is very important for members of the public to ensure that the items they want to dispose of at the centre are recyclables,” he claimed.
Yap went on to say that the association, which was founded by a group of scavenger workers at the BDC Recycling Centre, has always sought to separate discarded clothing and other reusable items from the general public for recycling.
“The meagre income of the scavenger workers in the association 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 of the association have always diligently followed and obeyed all the instructions and directives made by the officers from Kuching City South Council (MBKS) to clean and maintain the recycling centre,” he disclosed.
Yap went on to say that because of recent press misinformation about the BDC Recycling Centre, the members of the association have requested his assistance as he is the association’s legal advisor.
“There is an allegation that the association has not been able to manage the recycling centre properly, and the members are afraid that it might affect their meagre livelihood through no fault of theirs.
“One of the members even pleaded ‘Jangan pecah periuk nasi kami. Bukan salah kami’ (Please don’t destroy our rice bowl; it is not our fault),” he stressed.
Therefore, Yap requests that members of the public be considerate and only discard items that can be reused or recycled at the BDC Recycling Centre, rather than using it to dispose of all unwanted items from their homes, particularly after spring cleaning to celebrate festive occasions such as Chinese New Year (CNY).
He also hopes that MBKS will consider placing bulk rubbish bins in strategic locations throughout all housing estates so that residents can dispose of unwanted waste that is not recyclable.
Meanwhile, Michael Kong Feng Nian, the special assistant to Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen, stated on Jan 16, 2023 that a group of scavengers at the BDC Recycling Centre have recently created a hostile and dangerous environment for members of the public through intrusive actions such as rushing to any car that appears to be stopping to drop off items for recycling at the centre. — DayakDaily
