It took two days, seven lorryloads, and 30 men to clear 9.41 tonnes of garbage from a single-storey house.
This was what officers from the Petaling Jaya City Council's Public Health and Social Welfare Departments had to go through when they cleaned up Ng Chow Moi's house in Jalan 232, where the 66-year-old hoarder had been living the past 30 years.
The cleanup, which began on Sept 26, resulted after the council received complaints from neighbours, as far back as last year, about foul smells from the house.
Public Health deputy director Dr Abdul Ghalib Sulaiman said Ng was at home when the cleanup started.
"We had issued her four notices since last year, ordering her to clean up her house and clear the garbage from her front porch, but she ignored the notices," he said.
"We had no choice but to clear the entire house for her. We obtained permission from her son and now, there is no garbage left."
The council spent RM2,881 to clean up the rubbish, which comprised recyclable waste such as empty bottles and cardboard boxes. Domestic waste was also removed. The recyclable waste was sold for RM536 and the money was given to her.
Dr Abdul Ghalib said Ng had been sent to University Malaya Medical Centre for a check-up.
City councillor R. Selvarajan said the council would continue monitoring the situation.
"Last Saturday, I saw her trying to collect rubbish again. I went to her house but when she saw me, she ran away," he said.
"Her neighbour told us that since the cleanup, Ng had stopped hoarding things. However, her son informed us she owns a flat elsewhere."
Selvarajan said Ng's son did not want to send his mother to the Welfare Department's temporary shelter.
"Ng still moves about freely, but soon, her son will send her to a private nursery for senior citizens," he said.
"Her son said she is lonely but doesn't want to burden her two children, so she prefers to live alone."
Meanwhile, Selvarajan said the City Council hoped to increase public awareness on hygiene and cleanliness.
"Besides continuously engaging the local community on the two issues, we also encourage their participation
to inform us if they come across any hoarding cases."
