By Alang Bendahara
SHAH ALAM, March 17 — A total of 60,543 metric tonnes of flood waste, including e-waste, was disposed of at six landfills operated by Worldwide Holdings Berhad, said state executive councillor for local government Ng Sze Han.
He said the waste was collected between December 21 last year and January 15, following the severe floods that affected most of Selangor on December 18.
“Approximately 32,267 metric tonnes of waste were disposed of at the Jeram sanitary landfill, 14,715 tonnes at the Tanjung Dua Belas sanitary landfill, 12,043 tonnes at the Dengkil landfill and 849 tonnes at the Kuang inert waste landfill.
“Other locations include the Sungai Tua inert waste landfill where 583 tonnes was disposed of, and 86 tonnes at the Panchang Bedena sanitary landfill,” Ng said in response to a query from Lembah Jaya state assemblyman Haniza Talha during the Selangor State Assembly sitting earlier today.
He added the waste was sent to an engineered pit, where layers of solid waste are filled, compacted and covered for final disposal, and the pit is lined at the bottom to prevent groundwater pollution.
“All the flood waste received by Worldwide Holdings will be separated, especially e-waste, which will be sent to the e-waste disposal centre designated by the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE).
“This method ensures the waste can be compacted safely,” Ng said.
According to the DOE, e-waste is a broken, non-working or old or obsolete electric electronic appliance such as televisions, personal computers, air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators.
The councillor said the state government would consider introducing more sustainable waste disposal methods by utilising the latest technology, including waste-to-energy.
“The amount of waste generated after the flood was beyond our expectations. Therefore, we must take a lesson from the flooding disaster in solving the lack of landfills in Selangor,” he said.
