The public in Negri Sembilan have been responding well to the compulsory waste separation requirement, according to Negri Sembilan Solid Waste And Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) director Zainal Fitri Ahmad.

He said separation was the only way to manage and reduce solid waste.

“We have distributed brochures in 1,414 residential areas in Negri Sembilan,” he told reporters, adding that the state gathered 1,000 tonnes of waste a day.

“Last month, we recorded 24,000 tonnes of solid waste,” he said and urged those not separating their waste to start immediately.

“If we want to be a developed country, we must separate our waste,” he added.

Zainal said the public should start separating their waste now and make it a habit before June 1 next year when the state will start issuing compounds.

Meanwhile, he said there were 50 lorries visiting residential areas once a week to collect recyclable items.

“Residents should be aware of lorry schedules and use this opportunity to dispose of items such as old cupboards, mattress, or fridges, for example, instead of dumping items irresponsibly,” he added.

Zainal said once the public sees a local spot with rubbish, it will quickly become an illegal dump.

“The facilities and services are here, it is now up to the public to respond,” he added.

From September 1, households in seven states were required to separate solid waste at source or from their homes to reduce the delivery of solid waste to the garbage disposal sites.

As a measure of advocacy, households failing to abide by the order will be given a warning notice before the law is enforced, based on the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act, a maximum compound of up to RM1,000 can be imposed on residents refusing to implement the solid waste separation.