KUALA LUMPUR: Broga
mega-incinerator, out. Mini-incinerators for two islands, in.
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Plenty is happening after the tabling of the Solid Waste and
Public Cleansing Management Bill and the scrapping of the controversial Broga
project.
Among them are new incinerators for Pangkor and Langkawi to replace old, broken down ones, according to the National Solid Waste Department.
Also on the cards were physical work to close 16 critical landfills and a search for a standard rubbish bin for all, said department deputy director-general Dr Nadzri Yahaya.
The two popular holiday isles will be among the first of several islands to receive new incinerators.
Among them are new incinerators for Pangkor and Langkawi to replace old, broken down ones, according to the National Solid Waste Department.
Also on the cards were physical work to close 16 critical landfills and a search for a standard rubbish bin for all, said department deputy director-general Dr Nadzri Yahaya.
The two popular holiday isles will be among the first of several islands to receive new incinerators.
Their present incinerators had not been
in full working order for some time, said Nadzri.
In some cases, they fell into disrepair because spare parts were not available.
With the passage of time, the islands were landed with a massive solid waste disposal problem.
The new incinerators, evaluated by the Technology Assessment Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, are fuelled by the heat generated from the burning of waste.
This will reduce demand on the islands’ limited resources and cut down on the transport of fuel from the mainland.
How well these two replacement incinerators do will determine if they are picked for other islands or Peninsular Malaysia.
On the safe closure of 48 landfills announced a year ago, Nadzri said physical work on the 16 most critical ones would begin in the middle of next year.
Of the 16 most critical landfills, there is one each in Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Pahang and four each in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor.
They are among the hundreds of landfills without leachate treatment plants and sit near water intake points, along rivers or by the sea.
Consultants are being engaged by the department to conduct site investigations, survey the topography and work out safe closure methods.
Once the 16 are closed, at a cost of RM10 million each, the next phase involving 32 more landfills will begin.
From the list of landfills in poor condition, local councils would decide which ones were to be upgraded first, said Nadzri.
In some cases, they fell into disrepair because spare parts were not available.
With the passage of time, the islands were landed with a massive solid waste disposal problem.
The new incinerators, evaluated by the Technology Assessment Committee under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, are fuelled by the heat generated from the burning of waste.
This will reduce demand on the islands’ limited resources and cut down on the transport of fuel from the mainland.
How well these two replacement incinerators do will determine if they are picked for other islands or Peninsular Malaysia.
On the safe closure of 48 landfills announced a year ago, Nadzri said physical work on the 16 most critical ones would begin in the middle of next year.
Of the 16 most critical landfills, there is one each in Perlis, Kedah, Perak and Pahang and four each in Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Johor.
They are among the hundreds of landfills without leachate treatment plants and sit near water intake points, along rivers or by the sea.
Consultants are being engaged by the department to conduct site investigations, survey the topography and work out safe closure methods.
Once the 16 are closed, at a cost of RM10 million each, the next phase involving 32 more landfills will begin.
From the list of landfills in poor condition, local councils would decide which ones were to be upgraded first, said Nadzri.
Their choices would be vetted by the department’s officers and experts.
Meanwhile, the department will soon hold meetings with recyclers to explain the implementation of the bill and to identify their role in ensuring the efficient implementation of the recycling concept.
Nadzri said the discussions would also cover how recyclable items could be collected from homes and identify ways to enhance recycling programmes.
At the same time, meetings with other government departments will be held to tackle the collection of hazardous waste that often ends up in household bins, such as batteries, aerosol cans and electronic items.
Another key issue for the new department is changing the way rubbish is collected from homes.
"In some places now, bags are piled up in front of a person’s house before the lorry comes by and the rubbish is picked up.
"There must be a change in the way rubbish is collected," said Nadzri.
This was why the department was studying the introduction of a standardised bin that could be lifted by a mechanism on the waste collection lorries and emptied directly into its hold.
"We are also looking into how we can provide such bins for free."
He said planning for public awareness programmes before the implementation of compulsory waste separation was well underway.
Source:
2007/07/22
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