Contractors main culprits of illegal dumpsites

JOHOR BAHRU (Sept 5): Repeated efforts by the authorities to clean up illegal dumpsites have gone to naught when some irresponsible parties continue to dispose their waste at the sites.

The highest number of illegal dumpsites in Johor are found in Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang and Iskandar Puteri areas, with 189 sites as of September, reported The Star today.

“About 90% of the 189 illegal dumpsites in Johor are used by irresponsible parties including contractors and construction companies to dispose construction waste,’’ said Johor Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation Sdn Bhd (SWCorp) director Cairul Hisham Jalaluddin.

The garbage has been cleaned up, but rampant dumping is still happening at 88 of the sites, he added.

Other districts recording similar situations are Muar, where there are 14 repeat illegal dumping sites out of 34; Kulai (nine out of 16); Kluang (two out of 15); and Batu Pahat (five out of seven).

Cairul pointed out that most of the dumpsites are “in isolated areas hidden from public view, usually near secondary jungles and near the riverbank instead of at the landfills”.

He lamented that the culprits pay no heed to the harm they cause to nearby residents or the environment.

So far, 24 cases had been resolved, and the companies found guilty have been fined a total of RM193,000. One of them is imprisoned for one year for failure to pay the fine.

“We are now gathering more evidence for some other cases. This usually takes between six and 12 months,’’ said Cairul.

Offenders will be prosecuted under Section 71(2) of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) that carries a minimum fine of RM10,000 and a maximum of RM100,000, or a jail term of six months to five years.

According to Cairul, from November onwards, developers must separate their concrete and wooden construction waste. Domestic waste from the construction workers are to be separated too. In addition, they can only utilise registered companies for waste disposal service.

Legal action will be taken against those who fail to comply.

He explained that the Seelong sanitary landfill is for construction waste from Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri and Kulai while the Tanjung Langsat landfill caters to Pasir Gudang.