Hee (second from left) presenting an award to one of the winners of a recycling competition involving Johor schools.
SWCorp: Proposed plants will cost up to RM1bil each, initiative to take 10 years
COLLABORATION with the private sector is necessary for the establishment of 18 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants nationwide proposed by the government as these projects involve very high costs.
Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) chairman Hee Loy Sian said each plant, which could possibly replace the use of landfills in future, required about RM500mil to RM1bil to build.
“Each plant is expected to process 1,000 tonnes to 2,000 tonnes of waste (daily).
“The tonnage it can process will determine the capacity of each plant and cost for its construction,” he said, adding that the government would work with the private sector to make the projects happen.
The WTE projects would be carried out over a 10-year period, he said after attending the closing ceremony for a recycling competition for Johor schools at a shopping mall in Johor Baru.
Hee added that a site in Bukit Payung, Johor, had been identified for one of the 18 proposed WTE plants.
“The Bukit Payung site is the second project to be awarded after the first one in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.
“The government is in the final stages of discussion before the third award at a site in Sungai Udang, Melaka,” he said.
In July, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming told Parliament that 18 possible sites had been proposed for the WTE plants.
He said the sites are Jabi and Padang Cina in Kedah; Bukit Payung, Seelong and Sedili (Johor); Jabor-Jerangau and Belenggu (Pahang); Sungai Udang (Melaka); Rawang (Kuala Lumpur); Jeram, Tanjung Dua Belas and Rawang Dua (Selangor); Pulau Burung (Penang); Lahat, Taiping and Manjung (Perak); Tertak Batu (Terengganu); and Jedok (Kelantan).
Nga said that constructing a large-scale landfill would require a significant amount of land, spanning thousands of acres.
Additionally, a landfill would render an area within a 5km to 10km radius unsuitable for development. Although WTE plants came with higher costs, he said they presented a more efficient alternative in terms of land use.
He added that it cost the government around RM20mil to cover up a landfill.
Nga had assured that current WTE technology was not only safe but other countries’ experience proved it was effective in reducing the amount of solid waste that would otherwise be sent to landfills.
WTE plants operated at a consistently high temperature and were equipped with a treatment system to prevent harmful gases from being released to the environment, he added.
Nga said the WTE concept was one of the best options for the environment and people’s well-being.
On the recycling programme, Hee said involving schools in green activities could benefit the environment and raise awareness among the younger generation.
“This competition is in its 10th year and we usually see an increase in the amount of collected items with each edition.
“This year’s programme saw the participation of 224 schools throughout Johor, with the total amount of items collected weighing 1.39 million kilogrammes,” Hee said.
