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Some Malaysians have a bad habit of littering, and the lack of care carries over to the way they improperly dispose of their rubbish.

A survey done in 2019 showed that about 60% of 32 million Malaysians fail to discard their trash into rubbish bins.

Even if people managed to throw their rubbish into the bin, some still do not tie up their rubbish bags properly, which poses a problem for trash collectors daily.

A viral Tiktok video showed a trash collector trying to empty the green wheelie bins of a house fully.

He had difficulty doing so because the rubbish and food scraps were not tied in bags or had become loose.

The remnants of the foul-smelling rubbish stuck to the bin no matter how much the bin was shaken.

@sipemungutsampah Anda permudahkan kerja kami , kami cuba buat yang terbaik ya untuk bersihkan tong sampah anda 🤗👍🏻 #fyp #fypシ゚viral ♬ suara asli – hierapsz. – Hieraps

In the caption, he asked why people do not tie up or throw their rubbish properly.

They also reminded everyone that it’s important to discard liquid waste properly because it can corrode plastic bins.

You make our job easier, we will do the best we can to clean your dustbins.

Caption on Tiktok video

Netizens agreed with the captions in the video and said people should do better.

A netizen said her mother always advised them to tie up their trash bags properly to make it easier for the trash collectors, while another netizen said they also wash their bins.

Some said they would sometimes double-bag the trash to make sure there is no spillage.

Others also wondered how are the living conditions of those who do not tie up their rubbish in a bag.

How to bag and discard your trash properly?

Discarding trash properly is more than just making sure the trash bags are tied well.

It also depends on the way we separate our trash for better disposal and to protect the health and safety of trash collectors.

Here’s how it should be done:

  • Separate the recyclables from the trash into bags and dispose of them in recycling bins.
  • Wrap broken glass and/or ceramics in paper before tying it up tightly in a plastic bag.
  • Wet waste should be tied up in plastic bags.
  • Discard expired or used medicines via the government’s Return Your Medicines programme. Some pharmacies have disposal boxes for this purpose too.

READ MORE: This Pharmacist Tells Us How To Safely Discard Our “Drugs”

In 2016, Malaysians are required to separate their trash into recyclables and non-recyclables under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007.

If you’re caught not separating your trash correctly, you can be fined up to RM1,000 and might be taken to court.

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