NIBONG TEBAL: Waste disposal experts have urged the Penang government to adopt a modern and greener approach when it comes to waste management.
Environmentalist Datuk G. Parameswaran said the state government should look into moving from the conventional mode of handling waste into new technology in the future.
“The state government might want to try adopting new technology in incinerators that can burn waste and turn them into biogas to use as new energy rather than what we have now,” he said.
The former executive director at Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) said Penang must resort to modern technology to burn waste so that it can create a greener environment for its people.
“The state government can follow the example of how developed nations like Finland and Sweden manage their waste.”
He said smoke emitted from the fire at the Pulau Burung landfill was very dangerous and posed health risks to the nearby residential population.
He urged residents living near the affected area to get a medical checkup as soon as possible as the smoke could be toxic.
Another expert, Mohd Ramsyah Ismail said the best way to dispose of waste was by using the waste-to-energy (WTE) method.
“This method uses an incinerator to burn all the waste and turn it into electricity.
“However, due to its enormous capital expenditure, the tipping fee per tonne of waste for disposal is too high for the state government to bear, making it commercially unviable,” he said.
Mohd Ramsyah, who is Greenviro Solutions Sdn Bhd chief sustainability officer, said the other best way of waste disposal was via an integrated solid waste management centre (ISWMC).
“In this facility, there are a few components that complement each other: a material recovery facility (MRF) for waste segregation, anaerobic digester to generate biogas from organic waste, and leachate treatment plant (LTP) for wastewater treatment.
“The process starts with the segregation of waste at MRF to separate the recyclables and organic portion.
“Organic waste will then be channelled to the anaerobic digester where it will be kept in a closed pond to capture the methane gas.
“The gas will then be converted into electricity via a gas engine. It can also be turned into bio-methane and sold directly to off-takers,” he said.
He said it would be more economically-friendly if the state wants to use an ISWMC, which has a relatively lower tipping fee compared to the WTE.
“For both ways, however, the landfill is still needed as a final disposal site.
“The waste reduction activities described are able to prolong the lifespan of the landfill.
“Hence, the state government should look to investing in these facilities in order to have better waste management in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Nibong Tebal fire station said waste disposal activities were still ongoing at the Pulau Burung landfill although the area has been declared a Level 1 disaster area.
“After much consideration, we are allowing garbage to be disposed at Phase 3 of the landfill that has been unaffected by the fire.”
In giving an update on the situation at the landfill, the spokesperson said there were not much changes at the site, where about 4ha of the landfill was affected by the fire, adding that the department conducted an aerial water-bombing operation on Thursday morning.