PUTRAJAYA, Dec 27 — The Environment and Water Ministry (Kasa) today approved the use of portable pyrolysis to facilitate the disposal of solid waste generated by the flood disaster, said its secretary-general Datuk Seri Zaini Ujang.
He said with the portable pyrolysis facility, solid waste can be disposed of at 12 temporary transfer stations for solid waste near locations hit by floods in Selangor.
Pyrolysis is the thermal decomposition of biomass occurring in the absence of oxygen.
“This method will facilitate the management of waste at flood-hit locations and save time on disposal.
“Special approval will be given by the Department of Environment (DOE) to service providers which have the facility and expertise,” he said in a statement today.
To facilitate the management of e-waste by flood victims, Zaini said Kasa with the cooperation of state governments had coordinated work on the collection and transporting of e-waste out of the flood-affected areas.
“This will be implemented by registered e-waste collection centres or designated premises licensed by DOE so that collection can be done in a speedy and organised manner according to area,” he said.
He said all parties helping to clean up the homes of flood victims should separate e-waste from other types of waste for disposal and should not dispose of the waste via open burning.
“This is because this activity (burning) can affect air quality and jeopardise their health,” he said.
Zaini also hoped that those helping the flood victims can separate the gathered solid waste into three categories, including e-waste for recycling.
Bulk household waste like furniture should be taken to disposal sites while other types of waste such as clothes and food should be separated for disposal by pyrolysis or other portable methods, he said.
He said DOE had also given special permission to the Selangor government to dispose of bulk household waste using the organised disposal hole system (KLPT). — Bernama
