A big gotong-royong operation successfully cleared about 37,000 kilograms of rubbish from a 76-year-old uncle’s house in Taman Sentosa, Johor Bahru, after years of collecting too many things until cannot stay inside the house anymore.
According to Oriental Daily, the major cleanup started at 9am last Sunday (July 27), with 50 volunteers working together with Southern Waste Management workers.
By 12pm, they managed to clear all the rubbish from the premises.
Johor Bahru city councillor Chan San San reportedly said the cleanup happened because many neighbours complained to the district councillor about the situation.
The volunteer team included people from MCA volunteer group and local organisations like Johor Dragon and Lion Dance Sports Association.
“We launched this cleanup operation mainly because the district councillor received many complaints from nearby residents,“ Chan explained.
The cleanup needed a lot of resources - seven lorries for rubbish, two recycling trucks, and even got excavator to help move the mountain of things. The organisers thought they would finish by around 5pm.
The elderly uncle, who used to be a teacher, was very careful with money and became obsessed with collecting recyclable items. Over the years, his house became so full with old furniture, newspapers, plastic bottles and all sorts of rubbish that he couldn’t sleep inside anymore - had to sleep outside on the corridor.
Even though the uncle has family members, he had been staying alone for a long time. This situation might have made the hoarding problem worse without anyone to help control it.
By 3pm on Sunday, the volunteers had successfully separated and removed 32,000kg of household rubbish and 5,000kg of recyclable items.
The rubbish was sent to the landfill, while the recyclables went to recycling centre. Chan said any money from selling the recyclables will be given back to the uncle.
The authorities haven’t mentioned if they will provide any follow-up support to make sure the uncle’s living conditions stay safe in the future.
