KPKT's first park to turn trash to cash in two years

KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin plans to turn waste to profit by setting up designated waste parks in every state to focus on upcycling waste products.

Zuraida first mooted the idea of the centralised waste parks to deal with plastic waste recycling projects in Dewan Rakyat on April 2, whereby any plastic waste factories not sited within the park will be considered illegal.

Elaborating further, Zuraida said the waste park will also include scrap metal recycling, especially from vehicles beyond repair, reported the Malay Mail today.

“The ministry gives licences to the import of clean plastics. This is where the clean plastic comes in, we recycle and export back as resins and pallets. This will be turned into consumer products — Nike T-shirts and all those — and it’s worth RM30 billion.

“So, what will we do to make sure we capitalise on this industry which we ride on to bring income into the country? In two years, I’m going to centralise all these factories into one designated area — waste parks.

“Then it will be easier for us to monitor and manage. Anything outside this waste park will be illegal. So now they have to start thinking, correct themselves if they are illegal, and start applying for legal licences,” Zuraida told the portal.

Targeting the full set-up by the end of this parliamentary term, she said every state government has been notified of the ministry’s plans.

However, she acknowledges some states such as Selangor and Johor will need two parks, while small neighbouring states that do not produce as much plastic may share one.

“Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Johor have a lot of plastics. These are the five states that must have a waste park (or share one). The other states I must consider if there is a need or not,” Zuraida said.

Discussions on the construction of waste parks in those states have already started. Kedah, Perlis and Penang might share a park sited in Kulim.

For Selangor, the park will probably be in Port Klang, while Johor may see its park in in Rapid Pengerang. For Perak, a suitable site is still being sought out.

Along the same line, the minister also intends to come up with a waste-to-energy (WTE) policy and construct an incinerator in each state.

“At one time, people were against incinerators. I understand that because in the past, the technology was not developed and we couldn’t explore fully to find the best technology then.

“But now the technology for WTE is advanced, more generic now, and we don’t have to worry about going into the technology. So, in two years’ time, I hope to have one WTE in each state,” she explained.

In addition, Zuraida is looking to establish “smaller scale food-waste processing facilities that will be located near residential areas and food courts” to turn food and garden waste into compost and gas.

“The other day I launched it in Kedah — Laman Komuniti Lestari — where they recycle food and garden waste. The compost can be sold and some of it can be turned into gas, which we can also sell, and the community can take part.

“So that’s also part of the programmes under the National Community Policy,” she highlighted.

She explained that restaurants and residents will benefit by sending their food waste to these centres for recycling because it could reduce pests such as rats and cockroaches as their food source will be eliminated, leading to a a more hygienic and healthier society.

Another plan is to install CCTV cameras in hotspots under her local government portfolio to catch litterbugs, starting in Ampang, Zuraida’s own constituency.

“I want to nab people who litter or carry out illegal dumping. Apart from crime, I want to deter vandalism too,” she stressed.

Anothr pilot project to take place in Ampang is the change of lighting system.

“I’m going to get LED lighting installed in local government buildings. Local governments spend about RM177 million on electricity bills a month nationwide. If we use LED, we should be able to save 50% on electricity costs. These savings can be used for other things.”

KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin plans to turn waste to profit by setting up designated waste parks in every state to focus on upcycling waste products.

Zuraida first mooted the idea of the centralised waste parks to deal with plastic waste recycling projects in Dewan Rakyat on April 2, whereby any plastic waste factories not sited within the park will be considered illegal.

Elaborating further, Zuraida said the waste park will also include scrap metal recycling, especially from vehicles beyond repair, reported the Malay Mail today.

“The ministry gives licences to the import of clean plastics. This is where the clean plastic comes in, we recycle and export back as resins and pallets. This will be turned into consumer products — Nike T-shirts and all those — and it’s worth RM30 billion.

“So, what will we do to make sure we capitalise on this industry which we ride on to bring income into the country? In two years, I’m going to centralise all these factories into one designated area — waste parks.

“Then it will be easier for us to monitor and manage. Anything outside this waste park will be illegal. So now they have to start thinking, correct themselves if they are illegal, and start applying for legal licences,” Zuraida told the portal.

Targeting the full set-up by the end of this parliamentary term, she said every state government has been notified of the ministry’s plans.

However, she acknowledges some states such as Selangor and Johor will need two parks, while small neighbouring states that do not produce as much plastic may share one.

“Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Johor have a lot of plastics. These are the five states that must have a waste park (or share one). The other states I must consider if there is a need or not,” Zuraida said.

Discussions on the construction of waste parks in those states have already started. Kedah, Perlis and Penang might share a park sited in Kulim.

For Selangor, the park will probably be in Port Klang, while Johor may see its park in in Rapid Pengerang. For Perak, a suitable site is still being sought out.

Along the same line, the minister also intends to come up with a waste-to-energy (WTE) policy and construct an incinerator in each state.

“At one time, people were against incinerators. I understand that because in the past, the technology was not developed and we couldn’t explore fully to find the best technology then.

“But now the technology for WTE is advanced, more generic now, and we don’t have to worry about going into the technology. So, in two years’ time, I hope to have one WTE in each state,” she explained.

In addition, Zuraida is looking to establish “smaller scale food-waste processing facilities that will be located near residential areas and food courts” to turn food and garden waste into compost and gas.

“The other day I launched it in Kedah — Laman Komuniti Lestari — where they recycle food and garden waste. The compost can be sold and some of it can be turned into gas, which we can also sell, and the community can take part.

“So that’s also part of the programmes under the National Community Policy,” she highlighted.

She explained that restaurants and residents will benefit by sending their food waste to these centres for recycling because it could reduce pests such as rats and cockroaches as their food source will be eliminated, leading to a a more hygienic and healthier society.

Another plan is to install CCTV cameras in hotspots under her local government portfolio to catch litterbugs, starting in Ampang, Zuraida’s own constituency.

“I want to nab people who litter or carry out illegal dumping. Apart from crime, I want to deter vandalism too,” she stressed.

Another pilot project to take place in Ampang is the change of lighting system.

“I’m going to get LED lighting installed in local government buildings. Local governments spend about RM177 million on electricity bills a month nationwide. If we use LED, we should be able to save 50% on electricity costs. These savings can be used for other things.”