SECRET DUMPING POLLUTES THE ENVIRONMENT AND CREATES A HAZARD TO OUR HEALTH
The illegal dump in Kampung Tambak Jawa, Selangor, where drums of hazardous chemicals caught fire and exploded on November 25, is an alarming indication of the rising occurrence of secret and illegal disposal of waste. Earlier this month, 250 drums of glycerin were found dumped on the banks of the Klang River.
Illegal dumps, whether of household rubbish or hazard chemicals, are a threat to the environment and to human health, representing a serious leakage from the waste management system, and the source of pollution in the rivers, seas and oceans.
Waste management authorities need to heighten their enforcement of proper disposal of waste, especially hazardous chemicals. The rising number of reports of illegal dumping is of great concern because whether into rivers or on idle land, illegal dumping threatens the environment and, in the long term, our health and safety. It also costs money, in the form of clean-ups or healthcare, or even a drop in the value of property in the vicinity. Ultimately, the bulk of this cost is borne by the public, either as taxpayers or customers.
In order to reduce illegal dumping, the authorities must examine and understand where and why such leakage occurs, and address the gaps in order to create an effective waste management for Malaysia. To do this requires wider collaboration among all parties involved from regulators to business and industry and to consumers and households.
Regulators are not limited to the National Solid Waste Management Department and the Department of Environment, but include local authorities in every state as well as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage.
Illegal dumping is driven by economic incentives and convenience, and the absence of punishment, or ineffective enforcement, as was demonstrated earlier this year with the “sampah plastik” issue. Illegal dumping, like littering, is also a behavioural issue which cannot be addressed through blanket bans. It must be addressed as an infrastructure and system design issue and not just as an enforcement issue.
Addressing and preventing illegal dumping and littering, like the “sampah plastik” issue, will require a problem-solving approach, rather than knee-jerk measures like blanket bans. Careful analysis must be applied to identify the right measure or policy intervention in the design of an effective waste management system, preventing pollution and protecting the environment.
These include economic and social incentives to facilitate and promote behaviour change, and not just physical facilities. We also need a multi-stakeholder collaboration from all parties across the value chain from Government, brand owners, retailers, NGOs and consumers and industry.
Illegal dumping and litter are sources of environmental pollution, be it on land or at sea. MPMA has advocated the proper disposal of rubbish and waste under our “Don’t be a Litterbug” campaigns “Use a Bin” programme since 2012.
We need to continue our education efforts on a proper waste disposal, practising the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and more urgently we need to work towards establishing an advanced plastics recycling industry for Malaysia.
Recycling is a core component of an effective waste management system and plays a vital role in protecting the environment. It is the key element of Circular Economy, a system that moves away from the old “take-make-use-throw” progression. In a circular economy, waste becomes a valuable resource, to be recycled as raw material, made into new products and not thrown away. This reduces the need to extract more natural resources and the impact on the environment.
MPMA and MPRA are committed to developing a clean, vibrant and healthy plastics recycling industry that would boost the country’s recycling rate and contribute to a cleaner, greener Malaysia. But we cannot do this alone.
MPMA & MPRA
26 NOVEMBER 2019