Colour code for garbage bags soon
By Noraini Shariff
KUALA LUMPUR, Sat. — It will soon be compulsory for the public to separate garbage into coloured plastic bags, and place them in household bins at designated places and specific times. The proposed Refuse Storage, Collection and Transportation By-Law 1993 being drawn up by the Housing and Local Government Ministry will also lay down rules on garbage collection and storage by municipal councils.
The new rules will also specify the size of refuse bins which must not be more than three cubic feet in volume and have closefitting lids.
Even the staff of municipal councils and the contractors involved in rubbish collection will not be spared under the new by-laws which state that all collection vehicles have to be cleaned before leaving the disposal site. It also states that no person shall spill or cause to spill any refuse or allow his workers to do so.
These rules will ensure that both the contractors and the council workers do a good job of collecting the rubbish.
Anyone found contravening any of these by-laws will be fined a sum not exceeding RM1,000 or a Jail sentence not exceeding six months, or both.
There will also be an additional fine of RM500 for every day after conviction during which the offence is continued.
The current maximum penalty is RM500, but this is only Imposed on big lorries which dump rubbish by the roadsides while households are normally fined a maximum of RM100.
At present, there is also no jail sentence for offences involving garbage.
According to sources, the by-law which is a revised version of the existing Refuse Collection, Removal
and Disposal (Municipal Council of Petaling Jaya) By-Laws 1984, will lay more emphasis to the storage of garbage, which is an important aspect of the environment. For instance they state that all organic household refuse shall be put into plastic bags of a particular colour which is determined by the local authority.
According to the source such items like toxic and hazardous wastes would be required to be placed in red plastic bags so that they may be easily spotted by the council workers.
The colour of plastic bags containing other wastes will determined by the local municipal council.
The by-laws also state that the occupier of every house shall provide and maintain refuse bins with close fitting lids of not more than three cubic feet in volume or of specification and type approved by the local authority.
On the separation of waste, the new rules state that all household waste shall be separated into organic and recyclable materials. The recyclable materials have to be put into different coloured plastic bags and all household refuse bins and recyclable materials to be placed at the day, time and designated places.
Source : March 21 1993
Recycling Point Dot Com
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