KUALA LUMPUR: Fifty-nine illegal dumping sites were discovered here and in Putrajaya in the past 1½ years, and the biggest among these sites measured at 50m in length or equivalent to the height of a 15-storey building.
Federal Territories Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) director Ummi Kalthum Shuib said 42 illegal dumping sites were discovered between January and December last year, of which 40 were closed down.
In the first three months of this year, 17 sites were found, of which 13 had been closed, she added.
"The smallest site could fit about 1,000kg of waste and the biggest was a 50m-wide site that could fit 300,000kg of waste.
"People had dumped mostly construction waste," she told the New Sunday Times.
LEGAL SITES LOCATED TOO FAR
The 300,000kg of waste in a 50m-length area was equivalent to the height of a 15-storey building or the length of an Olympic-sized pool.
She said 42 people and companies were apprehended since 2018 with compounds amounting to almost RM430,000 for the illegal dumping.
She said one excuse given by perpetrators was that legal dumping sites were too far away.
"Some people told us that their neighbour or friend asked them to dump the waste there.
"Others know what they did was wrong, but say they are too lazy to go to a legal site."
The rampant illegal dumping sites in Kuala Lumpur in particular were due to the absence of an inert landfill, or landfill used for construction waste in the city centre.
The closest inert landfill in Sungai Kertas, Selangor, was closed on Dec 31, 2022.
Since then, city folk have to send their inert waste to Dengkil and Hulu Selangor.
"For domestic waste, we gather everything in Taman Beringin before sending it to the Bukit Tagar landfill in Selangor," she said, adding that Kuala Lumpur had no landfills due to the lack of land.
EYES ON THE LOOKOUT
In explaining how perpetrators were nabbed, Ummi said SWCorp patrolled construction sites to monitor where waste was being dumped to find clues.
She said investigators looked out for evidence such as utility repair signages belonging to a company, parcel packages and car workshop waste.
"We would see who owns the land and analyse the documents that were thrown away.
"We will call them and give them a timeframe to clear the land.
"There was even a case of a hearse illegally throwing funeral service waste after it was done."
She said SWCorp had also once issued a warning to the chief executive officer of a government-linked company (GLC) for ignoring the illegal waste dumped on land owned by the GLC.
Ummi, who is adamant in ensuring that the cities under her jurisdiction were clear of illegal waste sites, issued a warning to these dumpers.
"We have our eyes on you. We are monitoring these hotspots.
"The corporation's top three investigators are with us, so don't think that you can run.
"I have gone down to the ground with my officers to spy on these dumpers.
"We have also installed closed-circuit televisions in these hotspots and are using drones to monitor and gather evidence for conviction."
She said SWCorp continued to monitor closed sites to make sure they were not reopened.
DIFFICULT ENFORCEMENT
The corporation's fight against illegal waste is not one without challenges.
Ummi said the corporation faced an uphill task due to its small number of enforcers tasked to cover Kuala Lumpur.
"The challenge is also about tracing the perpetrators and ensuring that the people do not dump their waste illegally.
"This is tough with the limited resources that we have."
She said the high-density characteristic of the city made enforcement difficult.
"We hope that companies, including advertising agencies, will help us educate the public about waste management."
She said Malaysians still failed to separate their waste despite it being compulsory since 2015.
Out of the 820,217 tonnes of waste produced in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in 2021, only 0.2 per cent of the waste was separated at source.
It was reported that the Local Government Development Ministry, through SWCorp, aimed to close down 192 more illegal landfills by the end of this month.
Its minister, Nga Kor Ming, said the closures would involve locations in seven states.
They are Johor with 45 sites, Kedah with 26, Melaka with 52, Negri Sembilan and Pahang with 20 each, Perlis with 11, and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya with 18 in total for both.