MINISTRY TO CURTAIL PROBLEMATIC SOLID WASTE IN MALAYSIA

Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan(photo) said, the government is planning  to adopt a comprehensive and integrated waste management policy in order curtail the current problematic solid waste in Malaysia.

This includes the installation of incinerators for efficient disposal of waste and to formulate strategies for waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

He gave the assurance that public engagement would be held to add­ress concerns over the current incinerator projects.

Like any other countries in the world,  Solid waste is one of the three major environmental problems in Malaysia. It plays a significant role in the ability of Nature to sustain life within its capacity. Currently, over 23,000 tonnes of waste is produced each day in Malaysia.

However, this amount is expected to rise to 30,000 tonnes by the year 2020. The amount of waste generated continues to increase due to the increasing population and development, and only less than 5% of the waste is being recycled.
Despite the massive amount and complexity of waste produced, the standards of waste management in Malaysia are still poor. 

• These include outdated and poor documentation of waste generation rates and its composition, inefficient storage and collection systems, disposal of municipal wastes with toxic and hazardous waste, indiscriminate disposal or dumping of wastes and inefficient utilization of disposal site space.
  Rivers represent the lease of life which pulses through the earth.It is a finite and only source of water. In Malaysia, there are almost 1800 rivers. Sadly, more than half of these rivers have been polluted and destroyed. Improper solid waste management contributes greatly to river pollution.
  Improper solid waste management (SWM) also contributes to climate change – decomposing waste produces methane and production of new products to meet demand emits greenhouse gases and utilizes natural resources.
• Litter at the roadside, drains clogged up with rubbish and rivers filled with filthy garbage definitely indicate that solid waste is a major environmental problem in Malaysia. Rapid development, population increase and changes in consumption pattern directly (and indirectly) resulted in the generation of enormous amount of waste, ranging from biodegradable to synthetic waste.

In response to the issue, Abdul Rahman Dahlan said this was due to population increase, current lifestyle and dietary changes among urbanites.

“At this rate, existing landfills will be exhausted much earlier than plan­ned. For example, a cell in a sanitary landfill has a lifespan of five years. With the increase, the cell will be full before the lifespan ends,” he said.

Abdul Rahman said the ministry’s plan to build three large-scale incinerators with a capacity of between 600 and 1,200 tonnes a day.

The plant at Taman Beringin, Jinjang, would have a capacity of 1,000 tonnes a day and be completed via a private funding initiative.

Another plant at Sungai Udang, Malacca, would be able to process between 1,000 and 1,200 tonnes a day while the one at Bukit Payong, Batu Pahat, would have a capacity of 600 to 800 tonnes a day.

Speaking to reporters at the Parlia­ment lobby recently, Abdul Rahman said a detailed environment impact assessment report would be a prerequisite for the construction of the Taman Beringin incinerator.

Source: NST, Agency