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Daily Express
a day ago
- General
- Daily Express
City Hall defers move to ban plastic straws: No more bin centres in Sinsuran
Published on: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 Published on: Wed, Aug 20, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: Banners about the closure of the four bin-centres in Sinsuran have been put up on one side of these facilities. CITY Hall has deferred a move to ban the use of plastic and polystyrene straws within its rating area. Food operators around the State Capital had initially been told to stop handing out such straws to their customers from October 1 onwards and warned that, in extreme cases, they could wind up having their licences suspended if they failed to comply. Advertisement A spokesman for the agency's Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) said it still intended to do away with plastic and polystyrene straws in the long term but, for the time being, the ban had been postponed. 'Mayor Dato' Seri Dr Sabin Samitah is still deliberating over when it would be best to begin putting City Hall's plan in action,' he said. 'A further announcement will be made once this decision has been finalised.' Senior officials with the agency, including its Director General of Operations Robert Lipon and SWMD Director Leong Tze Fui, met with 150-200 individuals in the food and related sectors in the first week of June to make them aware of the impending ban. The spokesman said personnel from local plastic manufacturing companies, as well as representatives from the Sabah branch of the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim) and the Local Government and Housing Ministry were also present during the engagement session. 'By and large, the food operators and hawkers were supportive of our plan. But some asked if we could push back the October 1-start to a later date.' He said City Hall was not the first local authority to prohibit the use of plastic and polystyrene straws in the country. 'Several in Peninsula Malaysia have already made done this, as has the Sarikei District Council in our neighbour state, Sarawak.' The spokesman said plastic and polystyrene straws contained compounds which were harmful to the human body. 'On top of this they cannot be recycled. We want eatery and stall owners to switch to using paper straws or those made from organic material, like corn starch.' He explained that the move to 'zero-ise' the use of these straws was a natural evolution of City Hall's 'No Plastic Bags' policy which was launched last year. Meanwhile, the agency will be doing away with its bin-centres in the Sinsuran area, in a bid to get the public more accustomed to the workings of its 'sistem pelupusan sampah sendiri (SPSS, personal waste disposal system)'. The spokesman said there were four bin-centres servicing this part of the City. 'These structures are due to be demolished early next month,' he said. 'Our staff will be stationed at strategic locations around the shophouses to educate those living and working here on how to get rid of their rubbish under the SPSS.' He said City Hall's compactors parked a designated spot once in the morning and again at night, as part of the system. 'Those in the vicinity bring over the garbage from their respective premises, at these times, to throw in the back of the vehicle.' He said collection-sites had been demarcated on the surface of roads around Sinsuran to indicate where the compactors came to a halt. A majority of the occupants at the different blocks, which comprised the Sinsuran shophouses, were still confused about how the system operated. 'We closed the bin-centres at the beginning of August and strung up banners to inform the public here that they were not supposed to get rid of their rubbish at these buildings. 'Thirty eight SWMD staff worked on shifts between 6am-2am daily till August 10 to try and familiarise those in the area on how the SPSS works. Despite going to all this trouble, bags of waste are still being dumped in front of the bin-centres.' The spokesman warned that those caught red handed getting rid of their refuse in this manner risked being compounded up to RM500, under the agency's (Anti-Litter) By-Laws 1985 (Amendment 2005). The SPSS was nothing new in the City, according to him, with the system having been introduced in Kg Air six years ago and at the Anjung Senja foodcourt in 2022. The spokesman said the agency had noticed a marked improvement in the surroundings at both locations over the intervening period. 'There has been a significant drop in the number of rats running around Kg Air and Anjung Senja. Without the bags of kitchen waste piled up in these centres, or the bits of food strewn haphazardly around these structures, these rodents have essentially been deprived of a major food source.' He said the absence of the rotting refuse had also minimised the nuisance posed by leachate – the foul smelling liquid which drains from, or 'leaches' through, the piles of bagged rubbish. On top of this, he said, acts of vandalism involving the fixtures at the bin-centres in Kg Air and Anjung Senja had also decreased. The mischief-makers had previously taken to burning the communal bins or making away with their wheels, according to him. 'This motivated us to extend the SPSS to Sinsuran. We aim to do the same in Segama and along Jalan Gaya at some point next year,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. 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Daily Express
15-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
iBersih app upgrade for more efficient garden waste removal
Published on: Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 15, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: SWMD staff putting up a banner on the 'iBersih' app along the access road to Sunny Garden. CITY Hall is in the midst of upgrading its 'iBersih' application to make it easier for homeowners to request for the removal of their garden and bulky waste. The agency also intends to replace the damaged communal bins at a Kolombong commercial centre, once its stock of these receptacles has been replenished. Advertisement This follows feedback about the difficulty which some residential rate-payers have encountered in completing the sign up process after they have downloaded the app, as well as the poor condition of the garbage collection-point for the two-storey shops off Lorong Terap. The individuals who spoke out about these problems provided Hotline with the pertinent details which were forwarded to the agency. A spokesman for City Hall's Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) said it tentatively hoped to finish upgrading the 'iBersih' app by the end of September. 'We want to make the app more user-friendly and interactive,' he said. 'One thing we are going to do is to have 'iBersih' integrated with the 'Sabah Smart Parking' (SSP) app. 'Motorists will be able to click on an icon in the SPP app which will allow them to make a request and use the e-wallet in the app to pay to have their garden and bulky waste removed.' On a question from an 'iBersih'-user who wanted to know how the agency justified charging RM10 to take away one bag of garden waste, he clarified that a RM1 fee was imposed for each bag of waste to be removed. 'However, it would not be cost-efficient to deploy an open truck and a team of workers just to transport one bag of garden trimmings. 'Because of this, we have set a RM10 minimum limit for each trip.' He said homeowners were advised to wait till they had 10 bags of garden waste before making an 'iBersih' request. 'However, if they really cannot stand seeing the one bag sitting beside their rubbish bin, then they will have to agree to fork out RM10 to have it taken away.' A RM5 fee was imposed for every bulky item which needed to be removed, according to him. He said City Hall aimed to have the garden and bulky waste removed within a week from the date of the online request. 'One of our trucks will be sent to the homeowner's area for this purpose. It would be impossible for the bulky waste to be loaded into our compactors and to do so with the bags of garden waste would risk compromising the hydraulics of these vehicles.' The compactors were primarily utilised for the removal of household garbage, including kitchen waste, according to the spokesman. 'Our collectors will snap a photo on their handphones for our administration. This image will be shared will be shared with the app-user to demonstrate that service has been rendered to him/ her.' He explained that the app was introduced with the intention of minimising the likelihood of illegal dumps springing up around housing areas under the agency's jurisdiction. 'Anyone found disposing of their rubbish indiscriminately in the common areas risks being served with a compound for as much as RM500.' He said such action could be taken under the City Hall's (Anti-Litter) By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2005). In extreme cases, the culprits could wind up in court, according to him. 'If found guilty, they face the possibility of being slapped with a fine for as much as RM10,000.' In the case of the Hai Ou Light Industrial Estate in Kolombong, the spokesman said SWMD staff made a preliminary check of the collection point for the centre, shortly after being contacted by the media. 'They confirmed that one of the three communal bins had been placed upside down at the site as it could no longer be used,' he said. 'There was various pieces of unwanted items strewn on the common area around the damaged bin.' A five-man strong team from the Department returned to this part of Lorong Terap a few hours later, with an open truck, to clear the mess on the verge. 'We are presently awaiting for about 2,000 new communal bins to be delivered to us. As soon as we receive them, a new one will be placed at the collection point.' He said the refuse at the commercial centre was removed once daily. 'A check of our records shows that there has been no breakdown in this service. Nevertheless, our personnel have been asked to keep an eye on the garbage situation here, from time to time, to ensure that everything remains in order.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
24-06-2025
- General
- Daily Express
City Hall nets 193 pigeons in these areas
Published on: Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 24, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: City Hall netting the pigeons in this public space at Inanam town. CITY Hall has netted a total of 193 pigeons from public places at locations ranging from Telipok to Tanjung Aru so far this year, as part of an effort to control the population of these birds within its rating-area. A spokeswoman for the agency's Environmental Health Department said 11 staff with its Animal Control Unit (ACU) were involved in the operation to nab the pigeons at Tanjung Aru, Inanam and Telipok towns, as well as at the Double Six Monument in Sembulan and Lintasan Deasoka area in the City. She said this exercise was partly carried out in response to seven separate public complaints which it received about these birds. 'Thirty pigeons were caught in January, 15 in February, 55 in March, 58 in April, 30 in May and five in June,' she said. 'The most number of these birds were trapped in the Lintasan Deasoka area of the City (75), while the least were snared at the Double Six Monument (five).' She said two separate checks were made at the former. Advertisement 'The additional effort at Lintasan Deasoka was made during the launch of City Hall's 'Bandaraya Sihat, Komuniti Sejahtera (A Healthy City, A Better Community)' campaign on April 26. 'Some 500 flyers, prohibiting the feeding of pigeons, were handed out to members of the public on that day, including those who happened to be dining at the food and eating premises in the vicinity of Lintasan Deasoka.' She said a signboard on the same subject was also put up in this public space as part of the campaign which ends on Wednesday. She said the signboard highlighted the negative impact of throwing pieces of bread and other food remnants to the birds. 'The size of the pigeon population which gathered at Lintasan Deasoka would surely witness a sharp increase because of the feeders 'The presence of the bird droppings would mar the cleanliness of the area and give rise to the public health concerns.' 'The signboard makes mention of several transmissible diseases involving pigeons including Histoplasmosis, Candidiasis, Cryptococcosis, Salmonellosis and E Coli,' she explained. According to Medical News Today, Histoplasmosis was a respiratory disease that could be fatal and resulted from a fungus growing in dried bird droppings. 'Candidiasis is a yeast or fungus infection spread by pigeons,' the website stated. 'The disease affects the skin, the mouth, the respiratory system, the intestines and the urogenital tract, especially the vagina. It is a growing problem for women, causing itching, pain and discharge. 'Cryptococcosis is caused by yeast found in the intestinal tract of pigeons. The illness often begins as a pulmonary disease and may later affect the central nervous system. Since attics, cupolas, ledges, schools, offices, warehouses, mills, barns, park buildings, signs, etc. are typical roosting and nesting sites, the fungus is apt to found in these areas. 'Salmonellosis often occurs as 'food poisoning' and can be traced to pigeons and sparrows. The disease bacteria are found in bird droppings; dust from droppings can be sucked through ventilators and air conditioners, contaminating food and cooking surfaces in restaurants, homes and food processing plants.' In the case of E Coli, the website pointed out that Cows carried E Coli 0157:H7. 'When birds peck on cow manure, the E Coli go right through the birds and their droppings can land on or in a food or water supply.' The spokeswoman said ACU staff had personally had a word with some pigeon feeders around the State Capital, including two at Lintasan Deasoka, after identifying the parties which were doing this regularly. 'They were briefed on the negative consequences of their actions and warned that they could be penalised if they persisted throwing food to the birds.' She said a compound of up to RM500 could be imposed on them under City Hall's Anti-Litter By-Laws 1984 (Amendment 2005) for contributing to circumstances where the public areas were soiled by the bird droppings. Besides cracking down on feeders, the authority also frowns on eatery-owners who allow pigeons to gather in front or to hop into their premises. 'Two proprietors in Jalan Gaya were notified about this last year,' she said. One was apparently found to be throwing the crumbs and remnants from his/ her 'kuih (homemade treats)' onto the five-foot way outside his/ her shop, according to her. 'This was attracting flocks of pigeons to the pavement. The other was leaving breadcrumbs on the floor of his/ her eatery which drew in the birds inside.' Besides being served with a notice, copies of this document were also pasted to one part of the wall and the table-tops inside the second food-operator's shop. 'We wanted to discourage his/ her customers from following the owner's example and feeding the pigeons. 'The first owner was asked to get his/ her staff to clean up the pavement and chase away any pigeons which gathered in the common area in front of his/ her premises.' Both proprietors were given a grace-period to make good on these instructions. 'ACU staff noted that both individuals complied with our requirements during the follow-up inspection. No pigeons were observed to be flocking to these areas and no bird droppings were spotted in the public spaces nearby.' * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
20-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Express
Jalan Kolam, Jalan Sang Kancil streetlight outages
Published on: Friday, June 20, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 20, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: A skymaster was deployed to help restore the affected lights in this part of Karamunsing. CITY Hall is trying to determine the reason for the recurring outage of the streetlights on a 512 metre-section of Jalan Kolam, in Luyang. The agency is also keeping tabs on Jalan Sang Kancil, which extends for some 384 metres from end to end, to ensure that this Karamunsing stretch is properly illuminated at night. Advertisement This action was prompted by feedback from two road-users about the safety hazards which drivers faced at night due to the failure of the public lighting at both locations. Both motorists provided Hotline with the pertinent details which were forwarded to the agency. A spokesman for City Hall's Engineering Department said its electrical contractor checked on what was transpiring on both roads, shortly after being contacted by the media. 'His workers found that the power to the lights had tripped,' he said. 'The ELCB [Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker] was reset, before the lights came on again. Advertisement 'This has happened on and off several times this year, especially when there is a downpour.' He explained that an ELCB was a safety device that detected and interrupted electrical faults, specifically earth leakage or ground faults, to prevent electric shocks and potential fire hazards. The spokesman said the agency was in the process of trying to isolate the fault in the underground line in this area. He said the agency would consider enlisting the assistance of Sabah Electricity (SE) to stabilise the electricity channelled to the lights. 'Our engineers made a joint inspection SE technicians some time back.' He said a fuse for one of the latter's installations here kept blowing during that check. 'We were made to understand that this might stem from rain-water seepage. 'The run off was likely finding its way into part of the electricity cable between the installation and the lights.' He estimated that there were more than 10 lights on the median between the junction Lorong Zirafah 8 and the Foh Sang intersection. When asked how often maintenance was carried out on City Hall's streetlights, the spokesman said there was no fixed-schedule for this work. 'These amenities are attended to as and when it becomes necessary to do so.' In the case of Jalan Sang Kancil, the spokesman said a problem with the power being channelled to a control panel along the road temporarily rendered the lights on the slope inoperable. 'We alerted SE about this occurrence and the company promptly despatched a team to resolve the problem,' he said. 'The contractor's staff later checked on the lights and related fixture and confirmed that everything was in order. A sky-master was deployed to facilitate this effort.' He said the individual had been asked to keep an eye on the public lighting on Jalan Kolam, as well as Jalan Sang Kancil, from time to time. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
07-05-2025
- Daily Express
City Hall to improve lighting on Tanjung Aru roads
Published on: Wednesday, May 07, 2025 Published on: Wed, May 07, 2025 By: Sidney Skinner Text Size: Only two streetlights have been erected on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1. CITY Hall is set to improve the public lighting on eight roads around Tanjung Aru and is keeping tabs on the condition of the streetlights on five stretches around two Luyang commercial centres. This follows feedback about the break-ins which had occurred at two homes on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 at the first location, as well as the traffic hazards posed by the patches of darkness around Lintas Plaza and Lintas Square at the latter. The individuals, who spoke out about these irregularities, provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding these problems. This information was forwarded to the agency. A spokesman for the agency's Engineering Department said it was in the midst of putting together the necessary paperwork to have solar lights put up along several road reserves in Tanjung Aru, including those off Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1, Jalan Rumah Pangsa 2 and Jalan Datuk Willie. 'We have received an allocation from the government to carry out this improvement,' he said. 'A check of our records shows that there are only two streetlights each on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1, Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 and Jalan Datuk Willie.' LOVIE of Tanjung Aru said the lack of illumination on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 made her uneasy about driving home at night. She has noticed that the streetlights on the road seemed to function intermittently. 'One of my neighbours highlighted the lack of illumination to City Hall at one stage, and the lights came back on again shortly afterwards,' she said. Within a few days, however, these amenities were out of order again, according to her. She said there had been several break-ins in this part of the town. 'My home was burglarised early this year, with the thieves making away with a laptop, handphone, sling bag, piggy bank, a crystal bracelet and several pieces of gold jewellery which I were presented to me on my wedding day. 'The bad hats entered through my kitchen window in the wee hours while me and my family were sleeping. Thankfully, none of us were harmed while they were looting the place.' She feared that unscrupulous parties might be taking advantage of the almost pitch black darkness on the housing road to carry out these misdeeds. Another Tanjung Aru resident, one SHANG, echoed Lovie's concerns, saying that he was a victim of home invasion in February. 'The intruder drove up in an unregistered vehicle around 4am and entered my compound. He switched off the lights in my car porch and behind my house. 'The individual also covered the spotlight in my front yard with a piece of clothing, before trying to pry open the front grill to my house.' Fortunately, he did not succeed and left without further incident, according to him. 'All this was captured on one of my neighbour's CCTVs (Closed Circuit Televisions). 'When he reported what transpired to the Police, Shang appealed to the officer, who took down these details, to consider having his colleagues patrol Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 more often to discourage trespassers from entering other homes along the road. In the case of the streetlights in Lintas Plaza and Lintas Square, the spokesman said its electrical contractor was alerted to the breakdown of the amenities servicing both Luyang commercial centres. He said a check of these properties revealed that some of the lighting fixtures were damaged. Repairs were made shortly thereafter, with the contractor's workers changing a 60-amp contactor, a 40-amp contactor, 14 150-watt lanterns, 10 250-watt ballasts, 14 150-watt ballasts, 20 ignitors and four 'e40 holders', according to him. 'They also replaced a 120 metre length of aluminium cable with a 16milimetre diameter and a 30 metre length of a 'twinflat' line with a 2.5mm diameter,' he said. He explained that a 'contactor' was a type of switch for repeatedly opening and closing an electric circuit. A 'ballast' regulated the electrical current to the lanterns and provided sufficient voltage to start the lanterns, according to him He said an 'ignitor', meanwhile, functioned as a starter to increase the initial voltage to make the lanterns glow. 'A sky-master was deployed to facilitate efforts to have the lights restored.' He said these amenities were tested that same afternoon after they had been dealt with to confirm that they were operational. 'The contractor kept the stretch under surveillance at night for a week afterwards. During that time, he confirmed that nothing was amiss with these lights.' * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
