Monday, August 1, 2016

MPKj appoints new garbage collection contractors for 14 zones

The Star, Saturday, 30 July 2016

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) has appointed 14 new contractors to handle garbage collection in the municipality.

MPKj president Mohd Sayuthi Bakar said under the new contract that came into force on July 1, each contractor would be designated one zone for garbage collection.

“MPKj previously had 24 zones, but we did a rezoning to streamline them down to 14.

“There is also one additional contractor whose contract for the Taman Rakan zone in Sungai Long is still in force,” he said.

“From July 1, MPKj’s garbage collection services included a weekly bulk waste collection for stratified buildings (condominiums, apartments and high-rise properties), and daily domestic waste collection for 58 traditional villages using a central bin method.”

Mohd Sayuthi said there were hiccups during the transition from old to new garbage collectors that coincided with the Hari Raya festive season.

He also urged ratepayers to give the new contractors time to adjust to their route.

“The rezoning is to make adjustments to enable contractors to make sufficient investment for their services.

“We have also stipulated the following conditions for the contract that is valid for 2+1 years – garbage collection trucks must not be more than five years old and have to be painted in MPKj’s corporate colours by Jan 1 next year,” he said, adding that the council would continue monitor the new contractors.

Mohd Sayuthi also said there are plans to introduce a waste separation scheme in the municipality.

“Our focus is on education and encouragement, rather than enforcement.

“It will be done as a pilot project with three neighbourhoods, possibly including Bandar Bukit Mahkota.

“We want to work with residential groups that are active and well-organised, and hope to get this started in September,” he said.

Meanwhile, MPKj will embark on a Kajang Integrated Waste to Energy Project that is expected to start operating in January 2017.

“This is a waste disposal project with a private company called AE Carbon Sdn Bhd.

“It will employ biological and thermal processes to turn waste into fertiliser,” said Mohd Sayuthi.

“The plant located in the Beranang industrial area will have a capacity of processing 200 tonnes of domestic and garden waste a day.

“If the technology is successful, it will have a positive impact on the environment and reduce waste sent to landfills.

“We can even use biomass as a source of energy.”

He said MPKj would only supply the waste and pay for tipping costs; the company would foot the cost of building and running the plant, as well as processing and selling fertiliser.

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