By Karen Bong
KUCHING, June 8: The Tabuan Laru Drop-Off Recycling Centre, once intended as a community resource for recycling, will be shut down and demolished this month as it has sadly become an eyesore and unhygienic space resulting from public misuse and abuse.
Kuching South City Council (MBKS) Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng stated that the Council had decided after careful consideration during a meeting.
Initially established in 2022 as a buy-back centre offering various coupons in exchange for recyclables, the centre later transitioned into a drop-off facility for the convenience of the local community.
Equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) for surveillance, it was meant to encourage responsible recycling practices.
“However, it has devolved into a site for indiscriminate dumping, particularly of bulky items like furniture. It became a rubbish dump centre instead, and people treated this place like a giant rubbish dump.
“I have monitored the distressing state of affairs firsthand for a week and saw many people there,” he said during the ShallWeeTalk live session on Saturday (June 8).
Wee noted the complaints from residents and passersby, raising concerns about the unsightly and unhygienic conditions, which not only detract from the area’s aesthetics but also pose health hazards and threaten community cleanliness.
“It does not only affect the spot but also the immediate vicinity when the accumulated waste were strewn beyond the centre. This requires constant cleanup efforts,” he said.
Wee highlighted that this caused people to complain that MBKS is not doing its work in collecting the waste.
Despite collaborative efforts with Treineken, he explained that the responsibility for recycling items falls outside their purview, thus compelling the Council to allocate resources for waste collection and disposal, including renting RoRo bins at a monthly cost of nearly RM5,000.
“The area is under CCTV surveillance, and those caught engaging in illegal dumping activities could face fines up to RM2,000,” he warned.
Presently, Wee mentioned that the Council organised weekly mobile buy-back programmes to streamline recycling efforts and facilitate proper waste disposal by the public.
Furthermore, he advised residents seeking to discard bulky waste to contact the Council services despite the associated charges. — DayakDaily
