MALAYSIA has much to be proud of as it has cut carbon emissions by 33 per cent. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak told the United Nations Climate Summit 2014 last Tuesday that the country was on track to hit the 40 per cent target by 2020.
Although we did not receive the financial and technological transfer as promised by developed countries in Copenhagen six years ago, we are still able to achieve this by implementing new national policies on climate change and green technology.
This clearly shows Malaysia is able to achieve its objectives if proper efforts and concrete policies are put in place.
Similar efforts must also be taken to address the growing waste volume generated in the country, especially in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
For Kuala Lumpur, the government has proposed to build an incinerator as a solution for the expanding waste volume, although the existing Bukit Tagar sanitary landfill is reported to have sufficient capacity to handle waste in both Kuala Lumpur and Selangor for more than 65 years.
Instead of building an incinerator, the government should employ a more holistic approach by stepping up the 3R campaign to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
A proper implementation of the 3R concept will ensure a sustainable level of waste that can be managed with existing landfill facilities.
If the root problem of increasing waste volume is not dealt with, the incinerator will be ill-equipped to manage the situation as it has a limited capacity of handling around 1,000 tonnes of waste a day. The government has the requisite laws in place to carry out the 3R policy effectively. The Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 allows the government to formulate policies such as:
SEGREGATION of waste at source;
MANDATORY provision of recycling amenities in public buildings, shopping complexes, housing estates, schools to promote recycling; and,
ADDITIONAL charges to be imposed on consumers for having exceeded the alloted amount of waste disposed.
In terms of carbon reduction, the estimated cost of RM900 million to build the incinerator can be used to develop several medium-sized sanitary landfills across the country. The efficacy in reducing carbon footprint by a sanitary landfill is proven by the Bukit Tagar sanitary landfill, which is hitherto credited with the highest CERs (Carbon Emission Reduction) in Southeast Asia by the executive committee of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for carbon reduction under the Kyoto Protocol.
If the government employs the same resolve to effectively implement the 3R policy as it has done to reduce carbon emissions, Malaysia will be triumphant in managing yet another issue of concern in a more holistic manner without having to spend additional public funds to build incinerators.
Y.K.F., Kuala Lumpur