Dept of National Solid Waste to hold public awareness campaign next month

PUTRAJAYA (May 10): The Department of National Solid Waste Management would hold a public awareness campaign on solid waste next month in Kuala Lumpur, said director-general Datuk Dr Nadzri Yahaya.

Nadzri said the objective of the campaign was to inform the public on the outcome of the solid waste management lab, held recently between March 26 and April 13.

"We will put up materials such as posters and buntings in the hall where the event will be held to tell the public what has transpired during the three-week solid waste management lab," Nadzri told Bernama.

He also said the government would announce, early next year, an international tender for the construction of Malaysia's first ever mass-scale thermal treatment facility in Malaysia.

The facility would have a capacity of between 500 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day.

"We will call for the tender early next year. We will get the best environmentally friendly technology for the treatment of our solid waste taking into consideration the cost benefit analysis.

"At present, we are looking into the procedural process, the need statements as well as public awareness programmes," he said.

Nadzri said the construction of the plant would undergo a strict screening and undergo a through detailed Environmental Impact Assessment before any decision is made, he said.

"Once a decision is made, the building of the plant will be monitored closely to ensure it follows specifications including the testing and commissioning process. All these measures are taken to ensure that the health of the people and the environment are protected," he said.

Nadzri also said the tender process would take about a year and the construction of the incinerator would take about three years.

The department is currently evaluating several suitable locations for the incinerator.

"We are looking at locations that produce between 500 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes of solid waste every day," he said.

At present, there are four incinerators in the country, located in Langkawi, Pulau Tioman, Pulau Pangkor and Cameron Highlands.

The incinerator in Pulau Pangkor is already in operation while in Langkawi and Cameron Highlands, they are expected to be operational in August.

The fifth, in Labuan, is in the planning stage. — Bernama