Garbage woes in Berakas

ALTHOUGH the authorities moved quickly to clean up the huge trash build-up that had spilled over and across the car park at the Seri Lambak Complex, it seems only a matter of time before the problem rears its ugly head yet again, according to reports from people in the area.

According to news reports, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (Jastre) kicked into high gear to clean up the mess on Friday following public backlash over the eyesore and the ensuing stench that emanated from it.

A frequent shopper at the complex who asked to remain anonymous told The Brunei Times, "Sometimes it gets quite bad, and even after they collect it, there is still the smell of rubbish."

An employee at one of the many shops at the Seri Lambak Complex, who also asked to be anonymous, said that the garbage pile behind the complex is usually collected daily.

Asked why the rubbish had reached such a large mass that it needed urgent action, the employee replied, "All the tenants at the complex throw their rubbish there."

However, the staffer added that members of the public also often dump their garbage there and some days it is not collected, especially during public holidays.

The employee added that even when members of the public were reminded that they should not dump their rubbish at the complex's assigned trash site, many of them opposed and argued about the restrictions to dump their rubbish in the area, regardless whether the communal dumpsite is adequate just for the complex's tenants.

A 28-year-old woman who frequents the complex complained, "I don't like to see (the mess), but every time I buy my groceries, if I park at the back, it is very smelly."

Further commenting on the situation, the same complex employee said that it was the management's responsibility to ensure a proper garbage dumping and collection.

The penalty for the improper disposal of waste, as stated in the Attorney General's Chambers' website (www.agc.gov.bn) under Minor Offences, states that the offender "may be arrested without warrant... and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of $1,000, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction, to a fine of $3,000". The Brunei Times