Mounting waste problem

By LOONG MENG YEE

PETALING JAYA: Nearly one year into service, the “solution” has now become a problem.

The landfill known as the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) factory in Semenyih, about 60km from here, is stuck with 5,000 tonnes of post-process waste that it finds difficult to dispose of.

The RM130mil landfill features an integrated system to retrieve recyclable items; process solid waste into energy and reduce leftover waste into harmless inerts before being returned to the soil.

The post-processed waste was supposed to be thrown at the Sungai Kembong landfill, about 20km away.

However, that dumpsite had to close last year after it was found to be leaking leachate.

With Sungai Kembong closed, the RDF management could only send their waste to Bukit Tagar or Kuala Langat.

But since the cost is high because these landfills are located far away, the RDF management, as a temporary measure, has stored the post-processed waste in its own compound.

This has since grown into an ugly and stinking mountain of 5,000 tonnes of garbage.

People in the surrounding neighbourhoods have complained of a strong stench coming from the RDF, which is also affecting the Setia Ikhlas national service camp, barely 200m away.

Some frustrated residents have resorted to distributing pamphlets that warned parents visiting the camp that they were entering a “highly polluted zone”.

Following the public outcry, Selangor executive councillor Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng, accompanied by officers from related departments, visited the factory yesterday to get first-hand information about the problems.

“To its credit, the factory has managed to recycle 70% of waste sent there,” he said.

“Otherwise, all the 15,000 tonnes (roughly equivalent to filling up 6,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) will end up in landfills,” he added.

Ch’ng said the factory was working out the kinks and the RDF management had requested the state government to allow it to continue to send the post-processed waste to Sungai Kembong.

An alternative is to allow the Kajang Municipal Council to increase the tipping fee.

A third suggestion is to get the council to help transport the 5,000 tonnes of waste to Bukit Tagar or other suitable landfills.

Ch’ng said the state government disagreed with the first two suggestions because it did not want to burden the public.

The third request will be brought up at the state executive council meeting for discussion, he said.