KOTA KINABALU: Stricter enforcement of the law will be imposed on those who litter, particularly in the issuance of compounds, said Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.
“Starting today, we will emphasize on enforcement, as decided upon after meetings with relevant non-governmental organizations (NGOs), colleges whose feedbacks indicate that we should do so immediately,” he said.
Yeo also said that more rubbish bins will be placed around the city centre, particularly at the Lintasan Deasoka area and the Sabah Tourism Board area.
He said that while it has always been the City Hall’s mission to curb littering, not providing more rubbish bins in the city is not a matter of budget allocation but that of irresponsible people misusing such available facilities.
“Keeping the city clean is one thing, but educating the public on the importance of cleanliness is another. 16 years after being declared a city, littering is still one of the major issues we are trying to overcome,” he said, during a press conference on the Litter-free City Run 2016 at City Hall here yesterday.
He added that while City Hall has been on it for years, efforts to curb anti-littering appear to be an exercise in futility.
“People have complained that we are not doing enough. But we have been organising campaigns after campaigns and we have been going to schools to address the issue and educate children from young. Even the schools have begun teaching subjects that inculcate environmental awareness, but the issue of littering had persisted,” he lamented.
Nonetheless, Yeo stressed, more anti-littering messages and cleanliness awareness will continue to be displayed at more public places.
“Such messages may appear redundant and be taken for granted, but we will continue to do so until every member of society is aware of the importance of cleanliness,” Yeo emphasized, while reiterating the three important messages of anti-littering, which is to tell citizens not to litter, to call out those who do so and to pick up rubbish that have been littered themselves.