National cleanliness policy being drafted to raise image of cleaners

CYBERJAYA: The National Cleanliness Policy will be formulated among others with the aim of improving the image of cleaners so that sweepers and waste collectors are not looked down.

Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said the policy would enable employment in sanitation such as sweepers and waste collectors as honourable careers with certificates and training.

“With certification, cleaners will be trained so that they are skilled in their respective job scope such as the right way to sweep rubbish,” she told reporters after opening Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) headquarters here yesterday.

She said there are three important components in the National Cleanliness Policy namely to promote the culture of changing waste into a source of income; raising awareness on the roles of the community in national cleanliness; and the agencies responsible should study the latest technologies and programmes to raise public awareness.

Zuraida said the formulation of the policy would be headed by her ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Mantek.

It is expected to be ready in three months. She said the progress and success of a country is also measured on how the country recycles and manages solid waste.

“If possible, Malaysia wants to see the waste processing sites become tourist attraction areas,” she said. — Bernama