Source : Malay Mail Online, 26th August 2015
By Melissa Lee
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 ― Environmental observers said the government is being too ambitious in rolling out a federal waste segregation programme on September 1.
The government should instead empower city councils to carry out the collection and enforcement according to the ability and the needs of the community, they said.
Environmentalist Matthias Gelber, founder of the Negawatt Revolution, said the easiest way to kickstart an effective waste segregation programme is to make “cleaners the heroes.”
A cleaner sorts through waste at the recycling bins at Paradigm Mall in Petaling Jaya. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
Making cleaners the heroes
After all, cleaners and waste collectors already recover a small amount of recyclables in order to make some money.
The German, who has been based in Malaysia for more than 10 years, cited the example of a simple system he implemented with his neighbours in Seri Raja Chulan condominium where he used to live.
“We basically talked to Alam Flora but realised they could not pick up small amounts of recyclables, but then we talked with the cleaners and realised they had been doing it already.
“They have the phone numbers of the recycler who comes at the end of the month... who picks up the 80 kilos of paper and 20 kilos of cans.
“What we did was, we made our cleaners the heroes, we designed a system around the cleaners. We convinced the condo management to give us RM700 to buy bins, and give us shelves for every floor,” he said.
It only cost RM700 to set up the segregated waste collection areas on 23 floors back in 2009, Gelber said.
Under the national waste segregation programme that will roll out in KL, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah, no extra bins will be provided for landed properties for recyclable items.
As for non-landed buildings, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said concessionaires will provide bins “in stages” and only at collection points, with each bin costing RM300.
Gelber said before his recycling system was in place, about 100 kilos of waste was recycled but after the implementation of the system, an average of 300 kilos was recycled a month.
He pointed out that the only thing that was not segregated was biodegradable organic waste, which includes food waste.
“We didn’t want to get into the smell and stuff like that. We wanted to have a very simple system where nobody is going to complain or this is messy, this is smelly, and end up scrapping the whole system.
“So we did one bin for plastic bottles, cans and glass, even though glass has no market value in Malaysia,” he said, adding that even the recycling centre at the Ikano Power Centre does not accept glass.
There are also shelves on each floor for paper waste.
“The condo recycling system is still operating and it works and we let the cleaners keep the makan money so they make sure it works.”
Matthias Gelber poses with his green book and recycled wallet. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Programme at highly concentrated buildings
Jaron Keng, the manager of Universiti Malaya’s successful Zero Waste Campaign, suggested that the programme start with one community at a time, instead of on a federal level.
Universiti Malaya’s Zero Waste Campaign Manager Jaron Keng says the government should start the programme at a local level. — Picture by Choo Choy May
Keng pointed out that the UK had started with a federal programme but that failed. After that, its waste segregation programme went under the jurisdiction of local governments.
He added that it is a very challenging task to make sure waste is separated accordingly.
Recycling bins in Ikea with mixed trash in the bins. — Picture by Choo Choy May
“Even in Singapore, two years ago they declared their residential recycling programme a failure. Their overall recycling rate is high only because of the recycling of construction waste.
“In Japan, it is successful because of the people’s behaviour, and in Korea, the government is strong. Only Scandinavian countries are successful and even in the US, some states have only a dual-stream recycling system,” he said.
Keng said proper waste management includes tendering to the right concession companies and good communication with the public.
In some cities abroad, they even give out free calendars with the collection dates for every category collected published on it.
Collaborate with private companies
Keng said successful waste management in many countries is a result of public and private partnership.
At the moment, the National Solid Waste Management Department (JPSPN) director-general Mohd Rosli Abdullah said 25,000 tonnes of plastic waste is imported to be recycled every month because plastic waste here is not segregated to be collected and channeled to those companies.
Keng said the government can collaborate with the more than 60 big plastic manufacturers, 10 big paper mills, and 100 over companies that recycle e-waste.
“Public-private partnership is very important. Even to develop a materials recovery facility, you need the private sector to come up with the initiative, and the government basically just comes up with policy,” he said.
Enforcement
He also foresees problems with enforcing the law to ensure every household separates their waste accordingly.
“Even illegal dumping, we cannot solve, we are still at a very low level. This advanced thing will definitely not work.
“You put a bin in an area, some will not even bother to lift the lid to throw inside,” he said.
Recycling bins in Bukit Gasing, Petaling Jaya that has trash all over it. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng
Under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Act 2007, there will be a fine of up to RM1,000 issued to households who fail to separate their waste. However, the ministry said the fine will only be used as a last resort after all “persuasive efforts” fail to persuade them to do so, from June 1, 2016 onwards.
Impose waste tax
Keng, who is also secretary of the environmental NGO, Green and Blue Group, took a step further and said perhaps Malaysia should impose a waste tax where either residents get charged each time they have residual waste to be picked up, or they get charged by the weight of their waste, as is being practised in some European countries.
Malaysia’s recycling rate is only at 10.8 per cent according to the JPSPN’s waste audit. Each Malaysian emits 1.1kg of waste each day and households in Malaysia produce 33 tonnes of waste a day, or 12 million tonne a year.
In total, Malaysia produces 110 million tonnes of waste a year and it costs RM1 billion to manage this.
“Initially people will protest like in Germany, in the 1990s the government started to charge households, but after a few years, it became the norm,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiment, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s Dr Zainura Zainon Noor said households do not make a separate payment for solid waste management, hence are unaware of the amount of tariff that goes to waste collection service.
The chemical engineering professor suggested a “polluters pay system” in the future, where residual wastes must be placed in standardised plastic bags, otherwise, it will not be collected.
This way, one would assume that households will try to minimise the need to purchase such bags, by producing less residual waste.
“To be frank, I think it is still a long way for Malaysia to achieve the rate of recycling comparative to Singapore and other developed nations but I do think finally imposing this Act is a good start.
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