KULAI, 27 May 2020 While many others are abuzz with excitement over the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations and the festive holidays with their loved ones, one man here has other things on his mind. And they are not ‘wasteful’ thoughts either. Integrated solid waste management company SWM Environment Sdn Bhd employee Shukor Mohd Yassin admits that the festive period tends to make him restless, but only for the right reasons. The compactor lorry driver says festive holidays would also mean there would be piles of rubbish waiting to be collected in residential areas, and his job is to do just that. “In my line of work, my colleagues and I cannot really go on long leave or else there would be piles of uncollected waste everywhere. More so during the Movement Control Order (MCO) when the amount of waste doubles as there are more people at home most of the time,” he said when met by Bernama recently. As this is the scenario every year, Shukor, 38, only takes the first day of Raya off, before getting on his truck once again the next day. “We usually try to cover one round of collection a day before Hari Raya, otherwise there will be big piles everywhere,” he said. Shukor admits his work this year had been made more challenging due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, the father of two says he has been strictly following all standard operating procedures while on duty. “Yes, there are some concerns as we meet a lot of people in our line of duty and there is exposure. “But we if stick to the SOP, and protect ourselves with face masks, gloves and hand sanitiser, we feel a whole lot safer,” he said. Meanwhile, Kulai SWM Environment administrator, Amirul Ashaf Ab Rahman said the amount of solid waste has doubled since the MCO came into force, but the company’s main focus is ensuring its workers were constantly protected from the dangers of COVID-19 infection. “Prior to this we used to encourage our staff to communicate as much as possible with residents, but since the pandemic hit, we have no choice but to keep our distance. We also sanitise our lorries more than usual and monitor our employees’ health,” he said. — BERNAMA