From rubbish dump to dream park

GO within sniffing distance of the Pulau Burung landfill or garbage transfer site in Batu Maung, Penang, and don’t be surprised to come out feeling nauseous with a whiff of the stench clinging to the clothes and hair.

Dumpsites here are open bowels of collective waste reeking methane, a greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and leachate that foul up the air and seep into the ground to contaminate waterways.