SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government expects to conclude the ratification of the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007 (Act 672) by the end of this year or early next year.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said by adopting the act, it is expected to reduce the cost of solid waste management which is currently borne by the Selangor government through KDEB Waste Management (KDEBWM), which it appointed to manage domestic waste.
Amirudin said at the moment, the operational cost covered by KDEBWM to collect one tonne of garbage is estimated at RM7 to RM8 compared to the actual value of RM14 to RM15.
He said KDEBWM incurred an additional cost of RM7 which caused the company to experience a tight financial cycle and made it difficult to invest in buying trucks, new equipment and the like.
"With Act 672, the gap will be filled with the Federal government's allocation and we are ready to discuss it for that purpose. Hopefully, we will finish it by the end of this year or early 2025," he said after officiating the Selangor Education Summit (SES) 2024 here, today (Nov 18).
The media reported yesterday that the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) received a note of intent from the Selangor government to ratify the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act 2007.
Its minister Nga Kor Ming said the discussion for the acceptance of Act 672 by the Selangor government is ongoing and that there will be updates on this progress.
In the meantime, Amirudin said by signing the act, Selangor is expected to solve the problem of cost and the existence of illegal waste disposal sites in the state.
Regarding the education summit, Amirudin said that SES 2024, which will be held for the first time from Nov 27 to Dec 1 at the Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC), will bring together several educational programmes organised by government agencies and various parties.
He said it is estimated that up to 150,000 visitors will attend the summit which includes the Selangor International Book Festival (SIBF) 2024, Selangor R&D and Innovation Expo 2024, Selangor Advance Skills and Selangor EDU-STEM Carnival.
He said the organisation of SES 2024 is also to strengthen the education agenda and the provision of skilled human capital in the fields of Technical Education and Vocational Training (TVET) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education.
"It can also increase the cooperation of stakeholders in the field of education as well as industry and technology providers from within and outside the country," he said. — BERNAMA