JOHOR BAHRU: It's hard to comprehend when there are individuals who 'fall in love' with objects that can be rightfully called trash.
This strange habit is worsened when some of them seem to 'marry' the trash and live happily surrounded by worn-out or recyclable items.
This attitude of being too attached to items that may no longer be necessary or are already broken can be referred to as hoarding disorder.
This psychiatric condition, which is usually found among residents of developed countries, has been spreading among Malaysians as the number of cases, especially in big cities, continues to increase.
A sufferer of this condition, who only wanted to be known as Sim, 70, said this strange 'disease' began after he started collecting recyclable items to supplement his income.
According to him, the activity, however, began to turn into a habit that he has been doing almost every day for more than five years.
Sim admitted to spending two to three days on his routine of searching for and bringing home collected items to gather.
He said that every old item collected would not be disposed of or sold.
"I love these items too much to throw them away. Previously, I sold some of them, but after that, I didn't want to sell them anymore and preferred to collect them.
"I live alone at home. When I go out to collect these recyclable items, at least I'm not bored.
"There are indeed nearby neighbors who have expressed disgust due to my habit. However, I don't pay attention to it because I believe it doesn't bother anyone," he said.
Meanwhile, a security guard, M. Ravin, 58, said his older brother in his 60s also suffers from hoarding disorder, which has led to a broken marriage.
According to him, his brother used to work as a taxi driver and liked to bring home recyclable items that he collected.
He said the habit got worse until every space in his terraced house in Masai here was filled with various trash.
"It has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies at his residence, affecting the comfort of family members.
"Previously, my brother lived with his wife while his son studied in Kuala Lumpur.
"We tried to advise him to stop this bad habit since his 'hobby' caused concern among the neighbours.
"Unfortunately, my brother did not change, leading to his wife running away and moving to Kuala Lumpur to live with their son," he said.
Ravin said that among the items his brother often collected were used car batteries, used tires, drink bottles, old furniture, and so on.
"The pile of trash in my brother's house might take time to clean up as it is too much," he said.
