Environmental Protection Society Malaysia president Nithi Nesadurai said Malaysians were "very casual" about rubbish disposal.
"It is not because they lack awareness," he said yesterday. "People
know that they shouldn't be flushing rubbish down the toilet, but they
don't seem to care," he added."This wrong attitude has become part and parcel of our lifestyle."
Nithi said there was a need for a drastic change in the public's mindset. "And, this could happen with stricter enforcement," Nithi said.
"Perhaps, we should follow the Singaporean way and penalise those responsible," he said, adding that besides throwing rubbish into the sewage systems, Malaysians also had no qualms about littering in public places.
EcoKnights president Yasmin Rasyid concurred.
She expressed dismay that people did not throw their rubbish, including sanitary pads, into proper waste bins.
"It seems that the Malaysian mentality is not up to par and there is only so much that Indah Water Konsortium can do," she added.
Yasmin proposed to make it mandatory that all coffeeshops, restaurants and other public places provided trash bins for people to dispose waste, including used sanitary pads.
"Proper bins may not be available in rural areas and hence, this may lead some to flush their used sanitary pads down the toilet," Yasmin said.
Malaysian Nature Society president Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed said the overflow of sewage onto roads due to clogged sewer pipes was bad for the environment.
"The pollutants will end up in streams and rivers."
http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20130603-426952.html
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