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Thursday November 19, 2009
Solid waste separation at source pilot project initiated in Putrajaya
By GEETHA KRISHNAN
PUBLIC perception towards waste separation at source has to change if the lifespan of landfills is to be extended.
The Sungai Sedu landfill in Banting was to have ceased operations in June. Due to the scarcity of landfills in Selangor, Sungai Sedu remains open for municipal waste from Sepang and Putrajaya, a federal territory.
A pilot project to separate solid waste initiated in Putrajaya on Aug 29 by the Housing and Local Government Ministry aims to reduce the waste sent to landfills nationwide by 40%.
Changing the mindset: Safian (right) and Muhamad Zubir distributing flyers on the waste separation at source pilot project in Putrajaya.
The six-month project partners the National Solid Waste Management Department under the ministry with Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj), Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and Konsortium SSI-Schaefer.
“The Solid Waste Management Act 2007 stresses on recycling and has a special allocation for waste separation at source,” emphasised Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha at the launch.
The pilot project involves 170 apartments in Precinct 8, 276 houses in Precinct 9 and 105 houses in Precinct 10. Schaefer has supplied altogether 1,800 120-litre mobile garbage bins (MGB) and 10-litre mini bins.
Pointing out the difference, Khairil Ibrahim of Konsortium SSI-Schaefer said: “The two-wheel MGBs come with green lids for organic waste like food, fruits, vegetables, leaves, prunings, flowers, twigs and small branches or grey covers for recyclables comprising paper, glass, plastic and metal.”
PPj city services chief assistant director Muhamad Zubir Saran said the collection schedule for organic waste was on Monday and Thursday while recyclables were picked up Monday.
“The ministry has loaned PPJ a compacter for the waste separation project and...