Malayan Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Monday Morgue
Read more!
Malaysia: Terengganu district experiencing worst flood in 30 years, say residents
BERNAMA New Straits Times 1 Jan 17;
KUALA BERANG: Floods sweeping the state constituency of Telemong have been described by residents as the worst in 30 years.
For Isa Kassim, 65, of Kampung Kuala Ping, the deluge reminded him of another major flood in 1986.
"At that time, my children were still young, ranging from one to four years. I waded through flood waters carrying my three children, while my wife had to struggle with flood waters up to her neck.
"At that time, my family and I evacuated at 9pm, as we did not expect the water to rise so fast. Only Allah knows how we fought the swift waters to save our children," he said when met by Bernama here yesterday.
Isa, who is a retired civil servant, said at that time, facilities were still lacking and many villagers had to seek shelter at the nearest neighbour’s or relative's house.
"I moved to my uncle's house. We stayed and ate at his house, as there were no evacuation facilities then.
"The flood today is even bigger than in 1986. The water rose very fast. In less than two hours, water had entered our house. But we decided to move earlier, for fear the water would rise further," he said.
Teh Mamat, 78, of Kampung Tengkawang, said she could not save her things in her house as she was away, visiting her son in Felcra Bukit Kepah.
"My neighbours phoned me, but I was not in the house then and could not salvage anything. The flood is quite bad. In 2014, it was not like that," she said.
Teh said despite having to evacuate to a relief centre, she is content, as the facilities provided are adequate and comfortable.
"In the past, we were forced to move into any neighbour’s or relative's house which was not affected. Today, everything is provided at the shelter," she said.
A Bernama survey at the constituency found evacuation and rescue operations are still being carried out.
Firemen and Civil Defence Force personnel equipped with boats were seen assisting victims to move to relief centres. --BERNAMA
With parts of east coast under water, Kedah braces for floods
BERNAMA New Straits Times 1 Jan 17;
ALOR SETAR: Kedah is ready to face any eventuality should floods occur, with preparations already made and areas most at risk having been identified.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah said government agencies involved in disaster management have been instructed to be in a state of preparedness in facing the possibility of floods. "Agencies like the District Office, the Civil Defence Force and the Social Welfare Department (JKM) have been told to take immediate action to evacuate victims to safe locations in the event of floods.
"We have also asked JKM to coordinate the food supply depot and basic necessities for flood victims in each district if floods occur," he said after visiting Sekolah Kebangsaan Mergong, here, in conjunction with the first day of the 2017 new school session.
Low-lying and flood-prone areas in the state include the districts of Kubang Pasu, Padang Terap, Kota Setar, Yan, Pendang and Kuala Muda. --BERNAMA
Prepare for floods, Zahid tells states
The Star 2 Jan 17;
JELI: People in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak must be prepared to face floods from now until March.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this was because floods would normally hit from December during the monsoon season, but this time, it started this month.
The Federal Government would continue to monitor and assist the five states, he said during a meeting with flood victims at the evacuation centre at SMK Ayer Lanas here yesterday.
Bernama reported him as saying that the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) was formed to manage a disaster in a more organised manner.
Later in Hulu Terengganu, Dr Ahmad Zahid said early preparations by Nadma and continuous flood simulation exercises involving villagers had prevented any flood-related deaths during the current flood season.
“The early preparations and exercises have also reduced damage to personal belongings and properties this time around.
“Nadma has also ensured there are adequate food at evacuation centres and forward bases,” he said after visiting flood victims at the Kampung Bukit Tadok relief centre.
Dr Ahmad Zahid said Nadma was also ensuring that all flood-prone areas would receive early warning on rising floodwaters.
He said the flood situation was worse in Terengganu compared to Kelantan.
The number of flood victims in Kelantan fell to 944 from 263 families as at 4pm yesterday, Bernama reported.
Two ailing senior citizens were among 239 flood evacuees taking shelter at SMK Ayer Lanas in Jeli.
Che Idris Che Muhamood, 90, and Annuar Husien, 60, who was suffering from a stroke, were evacuated after their houses were inundated by floodwaters.
“My husband and one of my children had to take turns to carry my father as he could no longer walk, besides being visually impaired, since five years ago.
“We have to evacuate after the floodwaters rose to the knee before rising to waist level in late afternoon,” Che Idris’ daughter, Che Minah, 40, said.
Annuar’s wife, Halimah Ahmad, 55, said she and her 25-year-old son faced the same situation as they had to carry her husband for about 500m before reaching the relief centre.
11 schools to remain closed due to floods
The Star 2 Jan 17;
HULU TERENGGANU: The second day of the new school term today will see 11 schools in Terengganu remain closed due to floods.
A total of 1,708 students and teachers are affected by the closure.
State Education Department director Shafruddin Ali Hussin said out of the 11, eight were in Hulu Terengganu while the rest were in Setiu.
On Saturday, Shafruddin announced that 25 schools in Terengganu would not be able to start its first day of classes.
“Parents will be informed on the status of schools affected by the flood at about 3pm daily.
“We have a special squad to monitor the floods and all information will be passed down to the department.
“Based on all information, the department decided that the 11 schools will stay closed until further notice,” he said.
At SK Sentol Patah, Marang, parents and teachers were among those who cleaned up the school in a gotong-royong after water receded.
In Kuala Berang, Bernama reported that 32 pupils of SK Getang had to return home early at 10am when their class was inundated after Sungai Telemong burst its banks.
Headmistress Hayati Osman said she had not expected the water to rise rapidly and enter the classrooms.
“We had to move the pre-school pupils and the special education pupils to the hall and canteen while the others were placed in the double-storey building which was not flooded,” she told reporters yesterday.
Hayati said in less than an hour, water from the river had rose to waist level.
“When I saw the situation had deteriorated, I telephoned the district education officer to inform him about the incident and later called the guardians of the pre-school pupils to fetch their children,” she said.
Deputy Education Minister Datuk Chong Sin Woon said the Government would consider keeping schools closed in flood-hit areas until further notice.
“We will advise them accordingly once reports come in,” he told reporters in Subang, Selangor, yesterday after launching the World Dragon and Lion Dance Extravaganza.
Floods in Kelantan and Terengganu force evacuations, school closures
Channel NewsAsia 1 Jan 17;
KOTA BHARU, Malaysia: The number of flood evacuees in Terengganu and Kelantan decreased slightly to 3,261 and 944 respectively on Sunday (Jan 1), as flood waters receded and evacuees were allowed to return home.
According to the Social Welfare Department's flood information portal, 43 relief centres remain in operation in Terengganu state, while 23 remain open in Kelantan.
"All the evacuation centres in Kuala Krai, Jeli and Tanah Merah currently showed a declining trend although the evacuation centres have not been closed (even though) the victims decided to return home after the weather turned better this afternoon," said Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) Kelantan director Zainuddin Hussin.
He added that flood evacuation centres might be opened in several other districts including Pasir Mas and Tumpat later as the river water began to flow to these areas.
The flooding is a seasonal phenomenon in Malaysia, where east coast states face heavy rainfall at the end of almost every year.
This year, it has resulted in school closures in Terengganu, Kelantan and Johor, where the new school term began on Jan 1.
22 out of 501 primary and secondary schools in Terengganu delayed the start of their new term as the roads leading to the schools were flooded. Other schools had been turned into evacuation centres. The floods also forced 16 primary schools in Kelantan to be closed.
In Johor, four schools on islands like Pulau Aur and Pulau Tinggi could not start their new school term due to rough seas.
The Marine Department had earlier issued a big wave warning and stopped small vessels from taking passengers to the islands since Friday, leaving the teachers stranded on the mainland.
"Rough seas since Friday forced 37 teachers to delay their journeys to the schools, but the schools are expected to commence their sessions on Tuesday, depending on the sea condition," Johor state education director Shaharudin Sharif said.
- BERNAMA/ll
Read more!
Malaysia: Four schools closed in Johor due to high tide
The Star 1 Jan 17;
PASIR GUDANG: Four schools in Johor were closed on the first day of the new term due to the high tide phenomena.
State Education Department director Shahrudin Sharif said the four primary schools were located in four islands off the coast of Mersing.
The schools are SK Pulau Aur, SK Pulau Pemanggil, SK Pulau Tinggi, and SK Pulau Sibu.
"A total of 40 students with 37 teachers are affected due to the closure of the schools.
"However, the department has to take such precautionary steps as the area have been affected by high tide with choppy seas since last Friday," he said after visiting SMK Taman Scientex here on Sunday.
He pointed out that the four schools should be open on Tuesday depending on the weather.
Some 620,000 primary and secondary students have started the new school term in 1,182 schools in the state.
Read more!
Malaysia: Beloved Bornean pygmy elephant with 'sabre' tusks found dead, killed by poachers
OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 1 Jan 17;
KINABATANGAN: His discovery five months ago caused a sensation. His rediscovery yesterday has caused heartache.
While rescuing and relocating a small herd of Bornean pygmy elephants – a highly endangered species – out of a palm oil plantation in early Aug, the Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) came upon a male pachyderm with bizarre-looking, downward-pointing tusks.
It resembled the now-extinct sabre-toothed tiger, something rarely, if ever, encountered – and images of the mini-elephant went viral on social media.
It was lovingly named “Sabre” by the team, which fixed a satellite collar on it to monitor its movements and wellbeing, before releasing it into the Kawag Forest Reserve near Danum Valley.
On Nov 20, the signal from Sabre’s collar showed that he had become stationary, indicating that he may have been in trouble.
Yesterday, the worst fears of the WRU, as well as the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), were realised.
Sabre was discovered dead, along with a jumbo elephant, near the Segama river here – apparently killed by ivory poachers for their tusks.
Sabre’s remains were nothing but bones, as he is believed to have been killed around Nov 20, but the carcass of the jumbo elephant, found 1,500 kilometres up the river, was fresh.
The jumbo elephant had been horribly mutilated, as its entire face had been carved out, as a way of extracting its tusks.
In a Facebook posting on the DGFC site, director Dr Benoit Goosens said they were devastated by the killing.
"There are no words to express our sadness and anger. We hope that the departments in charge will do everything (they can) to catch the culprit(s) and that (the crime) will not go unpunished.
“Sabah, wake up, we are losing our megafauna. The rhino is gone, the banteng is going, the elephant will be next! Let’s not lose our jewels. The next generation will not forgive us!" he appealed.
Jumbo with unique 'sabre' tusks found killed
MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 1 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Conservationists entered the New Year in shock as a Borneo pygmy elephant with unique “sabre” tusks was found brutally killed.
The elephant had actually been rescued from a plantation in Tawau three months earlier and fitted with a satellite collar as part of efforts to monitor its movements.
The animal's skeletal remains were found in the Segama conservation area on the eve of New Year, hardly a week after another elephant was found dead in the same area.
The remains of the sabre-tusked elephant were found on Saturday.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) said that based on information from the satellite collar, the unique sabre-tusked elephant might have been killed on Nov 20.
The elephant’s remains and the satellite collar were discovered on Saturday morning.
When contacted DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the remains were found by a DGFC and Wildlife Rescue Unit team about 1.5km away from where the other elephant was found on Dec 26.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga could not be immediately reached for comment over the incident.
Poachers hunt for ivory in Sabah
MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 2 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah woke up this New Year’s Day to a new reality; that its critically endangered Borneo Pygmy elephants are being hunted for their ivory.
In the space of just two months, two elephants – including a rare sabre-tusked animal whose rescue from a Tawau plantation in August was featured in newspapers – were found killed.
All fingers are now pointing at poachers who are eyeing the tusks for the lucrative international ivory trade.
Conservationists indicate that there have been three such killings so far, with one discovered in the east coast Kinabatangan area in October last year that was not made public.
A saddened but irate State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun has ordered Sabah’s Wildlife Department to step up enforcement against poachers.
“There are just too many killings. They need to buck up,” said Masidi, who instructed state director Augustine Tuuga to provide him a full report on the latest killings.
While poaching elephants for ivory has never been a trend in Sabah, the recent three cases show that the animals may now be targeted.
This comes as China – considered the largest ivory market – announced on Friday that it was closing down the trade by the end of the year.
Sabre, a sabre-toothed elephant was rescued from a plantation in Tawau three months ago and was likely killed by poachers on Nov 20 but his skeletal remains was found only on New Years eve.
In a statement, Kinabatangan-based Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) teams said they were saddened and shocked by the slaughter of the two bull elephants near the Kawag Forest Reserve along the Segama River.
The carcass of the first bull was found on Dec 27 in the middle of an estate bordering the reserve, while that of the sabre-tusked animal – known to researchers as Sabre – was discovered on New Year’s Eve about 1.5km away.
Sabre, which wore a satellite collar, was relocated to the reserve three months ago.
“The tusks were removed from both bulls. We found the skeletal remains of Sabre on New Year’s Eve, with the satellite collar next to the skull,” said DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens.
“We thought Sabre would be safe there after we fitted a satellite collar at the reserve near Danum.
“We were obviously wrong,” he said, adding that Sabre is believed to have been killed on Nov 21 based on satellite data.
The killings are not believed to have happened at the same time.
Dr Pakeeyaraj Nagalingam, a WRU veterinarian who took part in Sabre’s rescue and relocation, said it appeared there was no safe place for the elephants in Sabah anymore.
“Authorities responsible for enforcement must work harder and smarter if we want to conserve wildlife in Sabah,” he said.
There are an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 pygmy elephants in Sabah forests.
Two rare elephants killed for ivory in central Sabah
Channel NewsAsia 2 Jan 17;
LAHAD DATU: Wildlife rescue workers in Sabah entered the new year in shock, as two wild bull elephants were killed by poachers near Segama River, Kawag Forest Reserve within a few weeks.
The first bull was found on Dec 27, 2016 in the middle of an estate bordering Kawag Forest Reserve while the second bull, a gorgeous sabre-tusked bull named Sabre, was found on New Year's Eve.
"We found the remains of Sabre on New Year’s Eve, with the satellite collar next to the skull,” said Danau Girang Field Centre Director Benoit Goossens in a statement on Jan 1.
Mr Goossens said Sabre was rescued from a plantation near Tawau early October last year, fitted with a satellite collar, and released into a forest reserve near Danum where he was presumed to be safe.
“We were obviously wrong. In the space of a month, Sabre and another large bull were killed by poachers for ivory, both carcasses were found 1,500m from each other, although the killings did not happen at the same time,” said Goossens.
According to satellite data, Sabre was killed on Nov 21, 2016.
“We are ready to provide all necessary information to the investigators and to the police. I believe that this is the work of a professional hunter and trader," Goossens added.
“On the day China banned ivory trade, we get two of our precious elephants murdered for their ivory. Our elephants are already threatened by habitat loss, development such as the planned road/bridge in Sukau-Kinabatangan. And if we add poaching for ivory, I don’t give many years for the species to become extinct.”
Meanwhile, wildlife veterinarian from the Wildlife Rescue Unit, Dr Pakeeyaraj Nagalingam, who took part in the rescue and translocation of Sabre, said there are no words to express his sadness.
He told Bernama that it looks like there is no safe place for elephants in Sabah anymore.
"The relevant authorities who are responsible for enforcement of illegal wildlife poaching and other illegal activities must work harder and smarter if we want to conserve our wildlife in Sabah," he stressed.
- BERNAMA/ll
Poachers may be from outside plantations
The Star 3 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife authorities investigating the killing of two Borneo pygmy elephants over the past week are gathering details about the poachers.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said their rangers had questioned workers of the plantations where the elephant carcasses were recovered.
“We are gathering information about the poachers. We believe they were from outside the plantations,” he said yesterday.
Augustine said the department was working with the police to track down the killers of the elephants.
“We are hopeful that we will eventually get them,” he added.
Malaysians were shocked by the discoveries of the elephant carcasses near the Kawag Forest Reserve on Dec 27, and just outside the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve on Dec 31.
The carcass of the first bull was found in the middle of an estate bordering the forest reserve while the second pachyderm with reverse tusks, known to researchers as Sabre, was discovered on New Year’s Eve about 1.5km away.
Sabre had been wearing a satellite collar after he was rescued from a plantation near Tawau and released to the reserve three months ago.
Research organisation Danau Girang Field Centre director Dr Benoit Goossens said satellite data indicated Sabre was killed on Nov 21.
There are an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 pygmy elephants in Sabah’s forests.
‘Offer reward for info on elephant poachers’
The Star 4 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: A reward should be offered for information leading to the capture of poachers who killed two Borneo pygmy elephants, said Datuk Wilfred Lingham.
The former state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry permanent secretary said the bounty would encourage people to report illegal hunts.
“This will turn the tables on poachers. Let the hunters become the hunted,” he said, adding that the state wildlife department was empowered to reward anyone providing information on poachers.
Lingham believes that the poachers who killed the two bull elephants for their tusks were part of a small group.
“Also, they would likely be using modified bullets that enable maximum penetration to the heart or brain for instant death,” Lingham said.
He also said that a close watch on exit points around the state was needed because the tusks would be taken out of Sabah.
They could go through Indonesia or the Philippines bound for China, he said.
One carcass was found near the Kawag Forest Reserve on Dec 27, and the other just outside the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve on Dec 31.
The second elephant was named Sabre and wore a satellite-tracking collar; it had been relocated to the reserve about three months ago.
Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Dr Benoit Goosens said satellite data showed that Sabre was killed sometime on Nov 21.
DGFC is a research organisation.
Dr Pakeeyaraj Nagalingam, the state Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian who took part in Sabre’s rescue and relocation, said it appeared that there was no safe place for elephants in Sabah anymore.
There are an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 pygmy elephants in Sabah’s forests.
Sabah Wildlife Dept offering 'jumbo' reward for info on elephant poachers
MUGUNTAN VANAR The Star 5 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department is offering a RM10,000 reward for any valid information leading to the capture of poachers who killed two Borneo Pygmy Elephants, including one with a rare "sabre-tooth" appearance.
"Our investigators have some leads. We believe the reward will bring us more information,'' said its director Augustine Tuuga.
The Department has put up notices offering the reward around the Kinabatangan area where the two animals were killed, presumably for their tusks.
The carcass of the "sabre-tooth" elephant, so named because its tusks grow in a downwards arch, was found on Dec 31.
It was fitted with a satellite collar and is believed to have been killed in November in the Kawag Forest Reserve while the carcass of the other was found on Dec 27.
The elephant with the "sabre-tooth" tusks was relocated to the reserve about three months ago.
Wanted! RM10,000 reward for capture of poachers who mutilated two pygmy elephants
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 5 Jan 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) is offering RM10,000 reward to those who can assist the department in catching the culprits responsible for the killing of two Bornean pgymy elephants, including the beloved 'Sabre' recently.
The reward money will be channelled through the State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Ministry. So far, SWD assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said no one has come forward to provide information with regards to the discovery of carcasses of the two elephants in Kinabatangan.
“We hope with this reward, it will encourage people to come forward and assist the department. “We will verify information given to us and the reward money will only be given once the culprits are charged in court and punished,” he said, adding the department is taking the case seriously.
On Dec 31, the department’s wildlife rescue unit made the discovery when searching for a pygmy elephant nicknamed 'Sabre' after it's satellite collar stopped sending signals.
Elephant bones belonging to 'Sabre' were later discovered, along with the remains of a jumbo elephant, near the Segama river in Kinabatangan – apparently killed by ivory poachers for their tusks. Based on its condition, 'Sabre' was believed to have been killed around Nov 20, but the carcass of the jumbo elephant, found 1,500 kilometres up the river, was still fresh.
The jumbo elephant had been horribly mutilated, as its entire face had been carved out, as a way to extract its tusks.
Five months ago, while rescuing and relocating a small herd of pygmy elephants out of a palm oil plantation, the wildlife rescue unit came upon a male pachyderm with bizarre-looking, downward-pointing tusks.
It resembled the now-extinct sabre-toothed tiger, something rarely, if ever, encountered – and images of the mini-elephant went viral on social media.
It was lovingly named 'Sabre' by the team, which fixed a satellite collar on it to monitor its movements and wellbeing, before releasing it into the Kawag Forest Reserve near Danum Valley.
Read more!
Malaysia: Ban on plastic bags off to a good start despite complaints
The Star 2 Jan 17;
SUBANG JAYA: The ban on polystyrene food containers and free plastic bags in Selangor and the Federal Territories got off to a smooth start although some shoppers were annoyed by it.
Entrepreneur May Chung, 40, questioned whether the policy was really environmentally friendly.
She said while she used to re-use plastic shopping bags for garbage, she now had to buy plastic bags specifically for trash.
“It’s the customers who end up having to pay more,” she said.
Previously, Selangor held a “No Plastic Day” every Saturday but the campaign was extended to seven days a week starting yesterday.
Shoppers in Selangor can still get single-use plastic bags from stores at a minimum charge of 20 sen each.
Apart from the ruling on plastic bags, Selangor, along with Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, has also banned polystyrene food containers.
Perak and Johor have also announced that they would ban the use of polystyrene containers and plastic bags from June.
Housewife Tan Lee Hing, 48, said it was troublesome to bring along too many reusable bags, especially when she was unsure how much groceries she would be buying.
“Sometimes the store doesn’t have what you want or you buy extra stuff on a sale.
“It’s hard to guess how many bags to bring,” she said.
A check at a grocery store here revealed that cashiers were informing shoppers about the new rule, and there were also signs at the checkout counters about the 20 sen charge per bag.
However, the store provided free cardboard boxes for customers with many items, and sold reusable non-woven bags (RM3.50) and cloth bags (RM18.90).
A check at the food court in the same mall revealed that all the stalls were using either plastic boxes or cardboard boxes instead of polystyrene containers for packing food.
A restaurant worker, identified as Noraiza, said she had already been using the cardboard boxes before the new rule as it was standard to use boxes that had the company’s branding.
In Rawang, shoppers at a mall and patrons at several eateries were seen bringing along their own reusable bags and containers.
Air-conditioning technician Wong Chew Wha, 53, said he always has some reusable bags in his car.
“I, too, want to help save the environment and make the Earth a better place to live in for future generations.
“This is not something new; we have been doing this on every Saturday for the past few years,” he added.
Hawker Samiya Anggilou said the food boxes she used now were twice as expensive as polystyrene food containers.
“But since this is the law, I have to follow,” she said.
Samiya also said she was confused whether she was still allowed to use small plastic bags to pack drinks for customers.
More education needed on ban
VINCENT TAN The Star 3 Jan 17;
PETALING JAYA: Selangor’s ban on plastic bags is just into its second day and it is clear there needs to be more education on the policy.
Although wet market chicken seller Tan Yew Leong is technically exempted from the “no plastic bag” rule, he felt the education process could have been done much better.
He said if city council or state government officers went to the ground to educate consumers, he and his colleagues could save RM100 a week by not buying plastic bags for customers.
He said official posters or banners explaining the ban in detail would be helpful.
“Right now, even if we explain the ban to customers, we do not have anything to point to except the newspaper announcements, which people may have missed,” he said.
Petaling Jaya City Council solid waste management unit head Lee Lih Shyan said limiting the source of plastic bags was a good strategy, given the attitude in Malaysia.
He added that when fewer plastic bags go into a landfill, its lifespan is extended.
For Kuala Lumpur resident Kuee Su San, Selangor’s ban on plastic bags was a good one.
“I knew about the upcoming ban, so I have been bringing a reusable shopping bag,” said Kuee, who admitted that even so she still needed reminders to bring her own container to pack takeaways.
In Johor Baru, the state government said it hoped to reduce some 131,400 tonnes of polystyrene and plastic waste annually once it enforced the use of biodegradable food containers in 2018.
State Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said they were in the middle of educating and creating awareness.
Meanwhile, Johor Baru City Centre mayor A. Rahim Nin said they would stop using polystyrene and plastic containers at their events immediately.
Many customers choose to bring own containers for food
QISHIN TARIQ The Star 3 Jan 17;
PETALING JAYA: Many customers are doing their bit for the environment by choosing to bring their own containers and tiffin carriers to buy food.
They chose not to use the plastic boxes provided by food stalls following the ban of polystyrene containers.
University student Grace Yeoh, 47, believed tiffin carriers were healthier options as she did not trust putting hot food into plastic boxes.
The Penangite had been using a tiffin carrier for over two years as the state had banned the use of polystyrene since 2012.
Selangor, along with Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, had introduced a similar ban starting Jan 1.
Yeoh said she did not find it inconvenient or expensive as the tiffin carrier was reusable.
A check at several kopitiam around Petaling Jaya revealed that hawkers had started using plastic boxes instead of polystyrene ones.
However, they still gave customers plastic bags to carry their takeaway.
Kitchen Shop senior sales consultant Kasturi Maniam, 39, said sales of reusable containers had been brisk leading up to the ban.
“I recommend customers to get the stainless steel containers because they’re long lasting and don’t stain, compared to plastic,” said Kasturi who had been using such boxes for her family for about two years.
Liew Kelvin, 32, and his wife Jeanne Ng, 29, said they considered buying more reusable containers following the ban.
We don’t like using plastic for food,” he said.
Manager Yong Min Jie, 36, said bringing containers from home was troublesome.
“I’m a guy who prefers convenience, so I don’t mind paying for plastic bags or boxes as I shop,” he added.
Read more!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
visitors since Nov 07