PUCHONG: The recycling programmes and initiatives implemented by the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) are aimed at diverting 40 per cent of waste from landfills.
Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said currently, 38,000 tonnes of waste were being sent to landfills every day.
"The lifespan of a landfill is, at most, 25 years. The maintenance is quite costly.
"If we can share the responsibility, and not just leave it to waste management companies or agencies, we can ensure not only cleanliness but also promote 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) and move towards the 'circular economy' promoted by the government."
She said the recycling programmes and activities were also aimed at changing people's perceptions of waste as useless, and instead earning returns and profits from it.
She said this after launching the Madani Community Carnival as part of the Urban Community Sustainability Carnival programme at the Taman Putra Perdana food court today.
Present were Housing and Local Government deputy chief secretary (Housing and Community Wellbeing) Suhaimi bin Ali@Ahmad, SWCorp chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Husaini Abdul Rahman and Sepang Municipal Council president Datuk Haji Abd Hamid Hussain.
Husaini said every year, SWCorp expected waste diversion to increase by 2.5 per cent.
"Last year, it was 35 per cent. This year, we are expecting it to increase by 37.5 per cent."
The recycling initiatives undertaken by the government include a drive-through recycling centre, campaigns to reduce waste and zero-waste community, a Trash to Cash programme, a school-level recycling competition, a From Waste to Wealth Innovation design competition, World Clean-up Day, the Recycling Hero volunteer programme, and a Star Certification Award for Waste Management in the Commercial, Industrial and Institutional Sectors.
At today's carnival, 54 40-litre oil tanks were distributed to vendors at the Taman Putra Perdana food court to encourage them to properly dispose of leftover oil while also earning money from the activity.
Exhibitions were also held, including by the Fire and Rescue Department and the National Anti-Drug Agency, as well as a Rahmah Madani sale.