KOTA KINABALU: Kota Kinabalu City Hall issued a statement yesterday about people tarnishing the city's beauty by throwing rubbish in parks during festive seasons.
The local authority said it had then cleared up the areas and provided more bins.
It said the mess reflected the public's assumption that it was the authorities' responsibility to clean it up.
Environmental conservation activist Monica Chin said she was involved in a group that had been cleaning up trash since 2013.
"So solid waste management must also become a priority by turning plastic waste into money, just like aluminium cans.
"We need drinking water manufacturers to set up a buy-back system and Sabah must set up a recycling centre to process the waste."
Now, she said, there was only one company that bought and exported waste to the peninsula.
Reef Check Malaysia programme manager Nadhirah Mohd Rifai said there was a need to address the rampant use of single-use plastic.
Nadhirah said schools should teach students about civic awareness.
"But this must be combined with waste segregation and collection facilities provided by local councils."
