Rahim and his wife Norkintan Sulaiman cleaning up the area around the bin in Kota Warisan, Sepang. —Photos: LOW BOON TAT/The Star
RECYCLING bins for used clothing and other personal items in Kota Warisan in Sepang, Selangor, are bursting at the seams.
Residents near the bins claim that the recyclables have not been collected for about a month.
During a check by StarMetro, at least six bins were spotted in the neighbourhood.
Big plastic bags filled with clothing were left on the ground around the bin.
Most of the bags looked like they had been ripped open and their contents scattered.
Taman Warisan Bayu resident Zafran Zafri Mohd Zaini said he had tried to call the hotline number on the bin but there was no answer.
“The bins were put in several spots in the neighbourhood sometime last year.
“The clothes are strewn on the ground and exposed to the weather.
“They may become unusable.
“It will defeat the objective of having the bins in the first place, which is to recycle and upcycle,” he said.
Many of the recycling bins are overflowing, and the opening cannot accommodate large bags.
Taman Warisan Indah resident Rahim Ismail said waste pickers go through the plastic bags on the ground to salvage what they could, leaving a mess behind.
“The bins are locked, so people cannot access what is placed inside.
“I run a food stall near one of the bins and they have become an eyesore.
“I often put the clothes back into the plastic bags and secure them, but the bags often get ripped apart again,” said Rahim.
“I advised some people who came to drop off their recyclables to not leave the bags on the ground and come back when the bins have been emptied, but most of them will not listen.
“Some of the bags are also too big to fit the bin’s opening,” he said.
StarMetro also tried to call the hotline number on the bin but there was no answer.
There were three logos on the bins, namely Life Line Clothing Malaysia Sdn Bhd (LLCM), a company which offers textile collection services; Upcycle4Better, a firm that advocates upcycling, and National Cancer Council (Makna), a non-profit organisation providing support for cancer patients and their families.
It is believed that Upcycle4Better had collaborated with LLCM to encourage people to donate used items such as clothes, shoes, bags, belts and toys, where part of the proceeds would be donated to Makna.
Kota Warisan Residents Association chairman Burhanuddin Yusof said it reflected badly on the organisations involved if the bins were not managed well.
“There are 18 residential areas and about 35,000 residents here.
“Had we been informed about the programme, we would have helped out.
“If there was a problem, we would know who to contact too,” he added.
When contacted via email, LLCM chief executive officer Dale Warren said many people were doing spring cleaning at this time of the year, which might have led to the large number of items left at the bins.
He said their commitment was to clear a bin in 48 hours but sometimes, it could even be done within 12 hours.
