BY VINCENT TAN

THREE Petaling Jaya residents have been appointed by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) as Clean PJ Ambassadors, to help in monitoring illegal dumping in their areas.

Their appointments were announced by mayor Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain at the start of the council’s pilot three-day instruction course for 32 cleaning contractors at the Pullman Bangsar Hotel.

Kampung Sungai Kayu Ara village committee member Mohd Zin Daud, said illegal dumping was a serious problem in the village.

“And there is dumping of waste into the river as well, so I am looking forward to both educating the residents, as well as monitoring new hotspots and ensuring people throw their trash responsibly,” said Mohd Zin.

Zahalan Ibrahim Dollah and Zulkifli Ahmad, from Apartmen Harmoni and Desa Mentari Block 8 respectively, were appointed ambassadors as both apartments had their own waste disposal problems.

Mohd Azizi added that the council would take a harder stance against illegal dumpers, regardless of whether they were local contractors or outsiders who wanted to skip paying their tipping fees.

“When they dump at these ‘hotspots’, they’re also creating breeding grounds for dengue.

“Although we have reduced these hotspots from 60 in 2014, to 11, a lot more needs to be done to reduce the amount of waste we generate,” the mayor said.

The waste disposal situation in Petaling Jaya has become more serious, as currently the council was moving about 600 tonnes per day to Jeram and Bukit Tagar.

“Four years back, the load was between 200 and 300 tonnes a day,” said Azizi who noted that more and more people were flocking to live and work in the city.

The instruction course, a pilot project started by the council’s Solid Waste Management Unit started off with the cleaning contractors recently appointed by the city council.

“This first course will be for the business owner, to talk about contract and business management, as well as the importance of insurance and performance bonds,” said Solid Waste Management head Lee Lih Shyan.

At the ground level, Lee said those working for the contractor were required to study and pass a test, which includes a live demonstration of practical-technical skills, and another component on general knowledge.

Lee added that the courses for the contractors were formulated to improve performance.

“During our last Petaling Jaya Waste Summit, a lot of the workers didn’t know who was the overall employer, while some owners skipped on signing the insurance and performance bonds,” said Lee.