2012 Solid Waste Exceeds Projected Production In 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysians produced 33,000 tonnes of solid waste daily last year, which exceeded the projected production of 30,000 tonnes in 2020. The Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the government considered solid waste management as a major problem for the people just like other problems such as the escalating price of houses. "Just imagine there are seven more years to go but the projected figure (for solid waste) has been exceeded," he said while urging the people to join the government in efforts to find a solution to the problem as the management of solid waste was a common problem. "This includes awareness in reducing the production of solid waste, to recycling including forking out some expenses to manage the solid waste products produced," he told reporters after officiating the International Conference On Waste Management and Environment 2013 (ICWME 2013), here Monday. Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman said four mini incinerators on an island area and three other large-scale incinerators would be built at Taman Beringin, Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Payung in southern state of Johor and Sungai Udang in the state of Melaka. Each incinerator with the 'stoker' technology could manage 1,000 tonnes of waste per day and reduce air pollution," he said. "Each of the incinerators is worth between RM600 million (US$181.8 million)and RM800 million (US$242.3 million) and takes three years to construct. "We will open international tender so that it will involve fully external technology to ensure that it gives minimal impact on the environment and save cost," he said. -- BERNAMA