Littering: 17 Individuals Sentenced; 589 NPK Issued In Melaka

MELAKA, May 16 (Bernama) -- A total of 17 individuals in Melaka have been sentenced while 39 other cases are still in court proceedings related to offences under the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672), which involve public cleanliness including littering and throwing cigarette butts in public areas in this state.

Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change and Disaster Management Committee chairman Datuk Rais Yasin said that so far, 589 notices of offence (NPK) have been issued since enforcement for littering in public places was carried out by the local authorities (PBT).

He said that strict action is important to ensure the cleanliness level in tourist states like Melaka is always maintained, in addition to raising public awareness about the importance of environmental conservation.

"This involves cases of littering, and the most commonly detected item is cigarette butts. So for hardcore smokers, you need to know the places where smoking is allowed and where to dispose of cigarette butts.

"We do not want the people or tourists coming to Melaka and then facing legal action due to avoidable cleanliness offences," he said to reporters after attending the "You Recycle, We Pay" programme, in conjunction with the 23rd anniversary of the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB), at the MBMB Square here today.

Meanwhile, Rais said that the practice of separation of waste at source among the community, especially in Melaka, is still unsatisfactory, resulting in many recyclable materials ending up in landfills.

He said that the attitude of not separating waste according to categories at home not only complicates the recycling process but also causes various materials that still have commercial value to be thrown away carelessly.

"If we look at this waste, it needs to be sorted at home because if sorting starts at home, it will certainly make it easier for various parties. If not separated, parties like SWM (SWM Environment Sdn Bhd) which collects and manages all the waste, will continue to dispose of it in landfills. So, it's a waste," he said.

Rais said that public awareness of waste separation needs to be enhanced more proactively because certain waste materials can be recycled into high-value products if managed properly.

He said this can be seen through the collaboration between Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and industry strategic partners, which proves that waste materials such as plastic and glass bottles can be commercially reused.

"They collaborated to recycle materials from plastic and glass bottles, which can eventually be turned into products and subsequently commercialized, such as floor tiles," he said.

Commenting on the "You Recycle, We Pay" programme, he said the annual activity continues to receive encouraging support from the public, especially in the collection of used cooking oil.

"It is more interesting this year as the purchase price of used cooking oil has increased to RM3.20 per kilogramme (kg) compared to RM3 per kg last year.

"Community participation in programmes like these not only helps the government reduce solid waste management costs but also provides financial returns to the people," he said.

He also said that as of 10 am today, the programme had successfully collected approximately 2.5 tonnes of used cooking oil worth RM8,000, in addition to 453 kg of e-waste, 420 kg of fabric, 110 kg of glass bottles and tetrapaks, 16 kgs of food waste, and 12 kg of the respectful disposal of old Qurans.

He added that the total amount of materials collected during that period was estimated to be worth RM4,656, with an achievement of carbon dioxide reduction equivalent to 1.1 million kg or more than 50,000 trees saved.

-- BERNAMA