'Special delivery' for Foodpanda from illegal dumpsite

Six large pink carriers with an instantly recognisable logo of a black and white furry animal were stacked at the lobby of a high-end 39-storey office tower in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

While most people would eagerly wait for the arrival of the carriers typically filled with food or drinks, this time, the "special delivery" from HELP University Arts and Communication Faculty Dean, Andy Hickson, were left unreceived for nearly two hours.

All of the carriers were ripped, tattered and covered in layers of grime. Inside them filled with bottles, beer cans, plastic containers and other wastes recovered from an illegal dumpsite near the Orang Asli hospital in Jalan Gombak.

Malaysiakini had on Nov 5 highlighted complaints from local residents and Hickson's discovery of the site, which prompted a promise from the management of Foodpanda that it will launch an immediate investigation to remove the bags.

Two days later, English-daily The Star reported that the district's Public Works Department (PWD) has stepped up to clean the area - one of 10 illegal dumpsite hotspots along a 26km stretch along Jalan Gombak Lama-Bentong (FT068) under its administration.

Hickson, however, said today his visit to the site on Saturday found little to no improvement, and he proceeded to take matters into his own hands.

"I spent about three hours filling bags with all sorts of rubbish. Cutting my fingers, ripping my clothes n the process," he said.

Hickson said he had no initial plans to target the company but as he ran out of rubbish bags, he realised that the large carriers could fit even more rubbish from the site.

"I got 15 bags out," said the British-born, who spent part of his adolescence growing up with the Temiar Orang Asli in Kelantan.

Smartly dressed in a suit and tie, Hickson's presence today attracted little more than quizzical stares from others working in the building, as he waited to meet with a representative from Foodpanda's management.

After about an hour, a group of auxiliary police summoned by the building's management finally approached Hickson and inquired whether he had formal approval to be on the premises.

Hickson insisted he would leave after meeting with a Foodpanda representative, pointing out that no approval was granted to dump their carriers at the illegal site.

All six rubbish-filled bags were hauled up to Foodpanda's office on the 37th floor where Hickson was eventually summoned for a meeting, after initial failed attempts by the auxiliary police and management to call them downstairs.

"The two people I spoke to were friendly. They said they want to do something about it, and mooted to work together with me," Hickson told Malaysiakini after the meeting which lasted around 30 minutes.

"What I think is a much better solution though is if they got people from the local community involved," he said.

"The local community in Gombak, they just want a clean jungle. They want to get rid of this filth, this waste that's polluting their lands, polluting their rivers and polluting their children," said Hickson, who suggested for Foodpanda and other groups to offer locals an incentive to clean-up the area.

Quizzed whether the company was aware how their carriers had ended up at an illegal dumpsite, Hickson said he believed they were not directly responsible for the situation.

"What I personally believe happened is that whoever was tasked to dispose of the bags took the easy route and just dumped them there. Foodpanda said they are still investigating, they don't know themselves," he added.

Malaysiakini has attempted to contact Foodpanda as no representatives were available for comment after the meeting was over this afternoon. - Mkini