Landfills is the way forward for Malaysia, says Abdul Rahman Dahlan

HULU SELANGOR: Landfills, and not incinerators, is the way to go in waste disposal as far as Malaysia is concerned.
Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said waste management via landfill method is the most economic, easiest and most efficient way to go.
He noted that many advanced countries use the method of sanitary landfill for waste disposal, instead of incinerators.
"There is no way incinerators will take centre stage in this country," he told a press conference after his visit to the Bukit Tagar Sanitary Landfill here.
Also present were Berjaya Group founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan.
The government's plan to open up an incinerator in Kuala Lumpur received criticisms from the public, including Tan who reportedly told the government to cancel the project.
Tan stated the Bukit Tagar landfill, run by concessionaire KUB-Berjaya Enviro, is more than enough to manage waste from Kuala Lumpur and Selangor for another 60 years.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman praised the waste management in Bukit Tagar for its capability to process waste with a quality on par with international standards.
He also urged KUB-Berjaya Enviro to export its technological expertise overseas to be promoted as a Malaysian brand.
"There is a population explosion in the Southeast Asia region, making it the best time for us to export the technology outside," he said.
"I also hope they can expand their sanitary landfill to the other states," he added.
Abdul Rahman said Malaysia currently has 170 waste disposal sites, with only 14 with the status of sanitary landfill.
"That is a worrying figure. However, converting any waste disposal site to a sanitary landfill involves a lot of cost," he said.
Abdul Rahman also highlighted that public awareness to apply the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) concept in their lifestyle is still considerably low.
He said waste management is not cheap, as the government spends around RM2 billion a year for the purpose.
"This is not something that should be taken lightly. Malaysians need to practice the 3R concept from now," he said.
"Bukit Tagar is still around but in another 100 years this whole area will be developed as an urban area.
"We are running out of time and space and therefore have to look into this matter seriously," he added.