One of the main reasons for the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to raise assessment rates is to improve garbage collection in the city, says Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

NONE Speaking to reporters at the DBKL headquarters today, Tengku Adnan said the cost of collecting garbage and the amount of garbage produced was on a steep rise.

 

"I tell you, the amount of garbage created in Wilayah Persekutuan alone is ridiculous. Thousands and thousands of tonnes of rubbish per day. It is ridiculous," he said, adding that DBKL needed more money to provide better services to the people.

Alam Flora can't survive

He DBKL currently spends RM14 million a month on Alam Flora Sdn Bhd to haul the city's garbage and it was still not enough to handle the amount.

"Alam Flora cannot survive with the rate we are paying them now, the pay is too low actually," he said, adding that Alam Flora had not increased its rates over the past few years.

He claimed that one of the reasons for a large amount of refuse is the fact that Malaysians tend to be wasteful when it comes to food.

"I do not understand why you people like to waste food. When I got a plate of food, I make sure I finish it. Some people do not finish it, why? That creates garbage.

"Actually many humans could not afford to eat, but for us, we just throw our leftover food away. We will educate people on that as well," said Tengku Adnan.

'Should I put rubbish at your house?'

Meanwhile, Tengku Adnan dismissed calls by a group for the authorities to focus on recycling and educating the public to reduce garbage output instead of construction an incinerator in Kepong.

He said that a recycling program is already in place and there will be increased efforts to educate the public on methods to reduce waste.

He was commenting on the protest letter which Kuala Lumpur Rejects Incinerator Action Committee (KTI) submitted to DBKL yesterday. The group had urged DBKL to focus on the 3R - reduce, reuse and recycle - before considering the incinerator project.

The group had also urged the authorities to place more recycling bins around the city and play a more active role in public education about environmental issues.

Asked on the effectiveness of DBKL's efforts to encourage recycling, Tengku Adnan shot back by claiming that the waste produced by the city's residents were too much for landfills to handle.

"So what do we do? You want me to put it in your house? Can?" said the visibly irate minister.

Tengku Adnan also blamed the media for failing to instill recycling habits among Malaysians and instead were focussed on pitting politicians against each other.