Soon, every Malaysian household will have to separate its waste to help in the recycling process or the garbage man will not collect the rubbish.

The Star reports that Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said it would be compulsory for the households to separate their waste items once the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Bill 2007 was gazetted and enforced, expectedly in April.

"This will stop people from throwing items that can be recycled which then end up in landfills, " he told a press conference after opening the National Recycling Day and Exposition here yesterday.

Ong said the plan would be implemented only after everything was in place, including having sufficient facilities.

"We will give a reasonable time before implementing it. We want to make it convenient for households to recycle their waste items.

Apt welcome: Ong being greeted by a sea of schoolchildren dressed as trees and plants at the exposition in Shah Alam on Saturday. - Bernama "Once everything is in place, we will not collect rubbish from households which refuse to separate their waste items, " he said.

Ong said that at present, the Government could only advise or give incentives to the public for adopting recycling practices.

He said the Bill would also make it mandatory for producers to take back packaging materials such as aluminium cans and bottles for recycling or disposal.

"We are working out a mechanism on how to carry out the take-back rules after the laws are fully enforced, " he said, adding that the ministry was also identifying industries that needed to practise the take-back rules.

He said many countries had adopted product take-back rules as it was an effective way to reduce waste.

Later, Ong opened the 9th World of Chinese Books Fair at the Malaysia International Exhibition & Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

The fair, with 710 booths from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia, will be held until Nov 25, from 11am to 10pm daily.

The entry fee is RM2. The money will be donated to 13 selected Chinese, Malay and Tamil schools.

At night, Ong visited the newly-refurbished SS2 Selera Malam hawker centre in Petaling Jaya before attending the Hawker Day dinner organised by the Petaling Jaya Municipal Council and the Petaling Jaya Community Hawkers Association in Section 17 .