City council spends RM40,000 to clean up mess left by RXZ members

 Kuala Terengganu mayor Lizan Che Mamat says this was despite bins being provided at various places at the venue.

About 130 tonnes of waste, mainly food and beverage packaging, were collected from the RXZ Members 8.0 event site at the Gong Badak Motor Racing Circuit near Kuala Nerus. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA:

The Kuala Terengganu city council spent RM40,000 on waste clean-up operations at the RXZ Members 8.0 event site at the Gong Badak Motor Racing Circuit near Kuala Nerus.

This followed the programme held there from Friday to Saturday, Bernama reported.

Kuala Terengganu mayor Lizan Che Mamat said the cost covered overtime payments for workers, additional lorry trips, and extended operating hours at the Sungai Ikan landfill.

He said the participants still littered indiscriminately although rubbish bins had been provided.

“About 130 tonnes of solid waste, mainly food and beverage packaging, were collected from the event site.

“The number of rubbish bins may have been insufficient because attendance exceeded 100,000. However, the waste could have been gathered at designated collection points rather than being discarded everywhere,” he said.

Lizan said the council intends to review the cleaning deposit imposed on organisers to help reduce the financial burden borne by the local authority.

Nevertheless, the council welcomed the organisation of large-scale activities and programmes in Terengganu because they help stimulate tourism and the local economy.

A similar situation had arisen in Kuala Lumpur when 25,000 football fans gathered at Dataran Merdeka on July 20 to watch the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on a giant screen, leaving a large amounts of rubbish strewn across the grounds. - FMT