A huge amount of fabric waste dumped beside the mini trash disposal shed at Lorong Bandar 11.
THOSE dumping rubbish at Lorong Yap Ah Loy, one of Kuala Lumpur’s popular tourist attractions, have been identified as foreign workers, says a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officer.
After scrutinising closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage from key locations, including Lorong Yap Ah Loy which has become a notorious dumping ground, DBKL enforcement team was able to identify offenders.
“From the images, we can see they are foreigners, likely working nearby,” the officer said.
“However, the rubbish found at Leboh Pudu, also known as the Segitiga Bersejarah (Historic Triangle), was discarded by homeless individuals.”
Workers from waste management company Alam Flora said rubbish at sites like Lorong Yap Ah Loy and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock were primarily non-organic, such as plastic water bottles, boxes, old clothes and expired medication with foreign-language labels.
At the Historic Triangle, rubbish in Leboh Pudu and alleyways such as Lorong Bandar 11 and Lorong Bandar 13 was mainly food waste and its packaging.DBKL and Alam Flora have been struggling to address the rubbish issue for several years, with the problem worsening during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The situation deteriorated to the extent that numerous businesses relocated or permanently closed when business was affected by the increasing presence of homeless individuals and the volume of waste.
Last month, StarMetro reported a significant increase in the rubbish volume, leading to tour guides omitting certain heritage sites from their itineraries.
Some guides said they were too embarrassed to conduct tours around the litter-strewn sites.
Upon learning about the situation, SWCorp Federal Territories director Ummi Kalthum Shuib had rubbish bins on Lorong Yap Ah Loy relocated to Lorong Bandar 12.
Nevertheless, waste continued to be dumped in Lorong Yap Ah Loy.
In 2018, the lane underwent a transformation by Think City and DBKL as part of an initiative to rejuvenate the city’s old and dimly lit lanes.
An information board detailing the city’s early history made the area popular among tourists.
During StarMetro’s visit to the area on Monday, the entire stretch of Lebuh Pudu was found to be awash with refuse.
A DBKL mini trash disposal shed at Lorong Bandar 11 had become a dumping ground for fabric waste.
A DBKL spokesperson said the council would designate the affected areas as rubbish hotspots.
“We have around 5,000 CCTV cameras primarily focused on monitoring traffic and crime.
“For illegal rubbish dumping, we have installed CCTV with AI capabilities at the hotspots.”
