Fix Problem at the root

reelpower

NST Letter
Fix problem at the root
11 May 2006
ZURINA ISMAIL, Kuala Lumpur

I HOPE that in the haste to rectify the leakage of leachate from landfills, the Government does not rush into building the RM1.5 billion mega incinerator at Broga. It must first consider the possible consequences.

Incinerators for waste disposal have been reported to release dioxins, an extremely hazardous class of chemicals that can cause anything from cancer to reproductive and neurological disorders, birth defects, kidney damage, to heart and lung diseases in humans.

Residents in Broga, Kajang and Semenyih also include students from schools and a university. These young people are our future.

We should take every precaution to ensure their health and safety.

I am disappointed that recycling campaigns do not include adequate facilities and incentives for the campaign to be effective.

A significant point to note is the absence of recycling bins in most, if not all, residential areas and schools.

One cannot expect individuals to go for recycling if the facilities are not readily and visibly available.

I live in a middle-class residential estate and have yet to see recycling bins here.

I separate my garbage and dispose of it at the nearest recycling bin at a shopping mall, paying RM1 to get there.

Given the effort involved, very few people are likely to take the trouble to recycle their waste.

What we need is more bins for garbage separation if waste prevention and reduction are to be carried out at source.

Since much time and money has been spent on creating an awareness of recycling, why not spend a little more on providing the facilities to enable us to actually do it?

A simple calculation shows that if a family with three or four children practice waste separation, the habit would be inculcated in three or four more families by the next generation.

This could mean a significant amount of waste reduction by then. It is, without a doubt, a sustainable solution to an ongoing problem.

Spending millions on rehabilitating problem landfills will not amount to much if a mega incinerator that costs millions is then built, only to be the source of a much bigger problem in the future.

No amount of high-tech solutions is going to solve a problem if the problem is not first addressed at the root.