IPOH, Sept 25 — It is a praiseworthy attitude, but her obsession with the environment grew into a hoarding disorder for this elderly woman, who ignored her horrified neighbours and turned her home into a ‘warehouse’ for the collection of garbage, which has spun out of control in the past three years.
Because of this obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCD) as psychologists would term it for the woman in her 60s, the Ipoh City Council (MBI) had to send three eight-tonne lorries to dispose of the mountain of rubbish estimated to weigh three tonnes in a concerted operation at her house in Jalan Merpati, Taman Ipoh, this morning.
According to MBI, this is the third time the local council has had to carry out a clean-up operation at the same house after the owner failed to cease her hoarding activity despite being advised many times over.
In fact, the owner, who lives in the house with her husband, was once referred to the Department of Social Welfare (JKM) for counselling, but the elderly person kept repeating the clutter of recyclables.
“MBI has received complaints of a nuisance at this premises since 2020; the activity of storing garbage at her residence for recycling purposes has raised practical concerns.
“Hoarding recyclables and storing them in a house in an unmanaged condition can cause a foul stench, become an infestation for rats and poisonous pests and a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“This activity poses threat to the safety and health of the surrounding residents as well as degrades the aesthetics aspects of the area,” said MBI in a statement to Bernama.
According to MBI’s records, since 2020, seven complaints have been received, and in 2021, the owner was fined RM500 under Section 82 of the Local Government Act 1976.
“This case has been referred for court action due to repeated offences,” said MBI.
