RM82.9 MILLION LATER, SUBANG JAYA STILL REELING WITH GARBAGE PROBLEMS

By TEH ENG HOCK

Subang Jaya started the new year with renewed hope that the city’s cleanliness would be better managed, as a new contract between MBSJ and KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd would kick off on the first day of the year.

This followed frustrations of poor waste collection, and the excuse provided for the inefficiency revolved around issues such as rising operational costs and insufficient number of trucks.

The situation in Subang Jaya must not have been an isolated case. In December 2025, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decreed that Selangor’s local councils must urgently improve waste collection and cleanliness standards. His Royal Highness stressed that public health and the state’s reputation depend on visible, consistent services, and NOT EXCUSES. Following the royal rebuke, the state government pledged reforms, including stricter enforcement and adoption of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) by 2026.

Yet in April 2026, the Sultan again expressed his displeasure that his advice had been ignored, singling out waste management and council performance as areas where Selangor continues to fall short. His words set the tone for what residents in Subang Jaya are experiencing daily: promises on paper, but little felt on the ground.

A week prior to Tuanku’s speech at the Selangor State Legislative Assembly, MPP Zone 1 led by Councillor Ken Chia convened a residents’ briefing on waste collection and public cleaning, attended by officers from MBSJ’s Environmental Management Department and KDEB Waste Management.

The schedule presented looked impressive: collection of domestic waste three times a week, collection of garden and bulk waste three times a week, residential streets swept once a week, and bins in public parks cleared daily. Yet beyond domestic waste collection, none of these promises have been adhered to. This was echoed not only by SS17 but by representatives from other neighborhoods too.

When asked if the schedule was a plan or already in practice, officers insisted it was ongoing. As a Subang Jaya native, I’ve never seen residential roads being swept. Maybe I was at work. So, I turned to the elders. Uncle Mike, an octogenarian and long-time SS15 community leader, grunted that road sweeping “never happened.” SS17 Rukun Tetangga vice-chairman Viji, in his 70s, concurred with Uncle Mike.

On garden waste, KDEB claimed lorries visit neighborhoods three times weekly but cannot cover every road as trucks fill up quickly. By their logic, the neighborhood is “served” thrice weekly as long as they enter our boundaries. To many, this was nonsense. Three times a week should mean every road, every week.

When bags of rubbish piles up, a bigger danger lurks: they become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. And with dengue cases on the rise, we are naturally alarmed. The same applies to drains, clogged by siltation. Again, the inability to comply with scheduled maintenance is an issue.

Ironically, expectations are already low. Residents said they would be satisfied with once-a-week garden waste collection. Instead, many report not even two visits a month. The KDEB officer cited rising diesel costs and overloaded lorries — the same operational excuses repeated for seven years. Yet this year, MBSJ renewed KDEB’s contract at RM82.9 million annually, up from RM73.3 million per year previously. Residents had high hopes that the increment would translate into improved services. Instead, it feels like more money for little enhancement.

The Sultan’s repeated decrees now serve as a mirror to Subang Jaya’s lived reality. Residents are not asking for luxuries, only for promises to be kept: road sweeping once a week, garden waste collection at least weekly, bins cleared daily. These are basic services. The briefing ended not with reassurance, but with a familiar sense of frustration. For Subang Jaya, the question is simple: will local councils finally honor the Sultan’s directive, or will residents continue to live with recycled excuses?