LESS than a week into Ramadan, Malaysians are already wasting some 10,000 tonnes of leftover food and plastic material daily.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said increased disposal of leftover food and plastic material has threatened the drainage system and rivers.
He said disposal of plastic waste by locals, night market traders, Ramadan bazaar operators and eateries could lead to pollution.
Besides plastic material, he said, disposal of food that were still good has also become a habit of consumers and eateries, which could affect the drainage system and cause odour pollution in residential areas.
"The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) estimates that about 10,000 tonnes of good food and plastic are thrown away a day across Peninsular Malaysia at the beginning of Ramadan.
"This number is expected to increase as more consumers are expected to spend (on food) until the end of Ramadan.
"This actually also occurs on normal days."
He said this after opening the Primary Voting Work event under the Environment and Water Ministry's allocation for the Pahang Drainage Irrigation Department here yesterday.
Present were State Tourism, Culture, Environment, Plantation and Commodities Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin, State Felda, Cooperatives, Entrepreneurs and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Nazri Ngah and Drainage and Irrigation Department director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali.
Tuan Ibrahim said throwing away food that was still good, especially during Ramadan, was a wasteful habit and was prohibited in Islam as the food can be given to the needy.
"Disposal of plastic can cause clogged drains, which can lead to flash floods. If rivers and seas are filled with plastic or waste, pollution will rise and that will threaten aquatic life.
"We have a plan to no longer use and dispose plastic waste by 2030, so that there will be no more problems when it comes to water pollution, including disruption of the drainage system."
He said residents, eateries and factory operators should dispose food waste, plastic and kitchen waste in rubbish bins to be collected by Alam Flora and SWCorp.
He said regular disposal of garbage would reduce the government's cost of cleaning the drainage system in urban areas.