Malaysians are battling over growing mountains of waste

Malaysia has a mounting problem in dealing with the tons of waste we generate daily, and we’re running out of time to come up with a solution that doesn’t harm either the people or the environment. — Filepic/The Star

NAMED after the mineral mined from its depths, Batu Arang – literally, lumps of coal – was once the second biggest town in Selangor.

At its height, there were almost 25,000 workers and their family members who called this town in Gombak some 50km from Kuala Lumpur their home. Working in three shifts, the miners kept operations going for 24 hours a day, churning out so much of the mineral that the British built a rail line to connect the town to the rest of the peninsula.