Penangites are supportive of laws to make it mandatory to segregate waste at source, which will be implemented in the state in June next year.

State executive councillor for local government Chow Kon Yeow said 86.5 percent of respondents in a survey back laws to increase the recycling rate in Penang.

“The majority of the respondents believe more people will separate their waste if the laws are enforced.

“We believe that in general, Penang residents are supportive of the Penang government's vision of mandatory waste segregation at source in June 2016,” said Chow, who also oversees traffic management and flood mitigation.

Chow ( photo ) added that in Penang, a total of 656,090 tonnes of waste were generated in 2014 and an average of 1,700 - 1,800 tonnes of waste were send to the Pulau Burung landfill every day.

It costs between RM100 and RM120 to collect, transport and treat a tonne of waste, he noted.

He pointed out that the estimated landfill life span is 42 years if it is equipped with the material recovery facilities and could last for 60 years if used with a food waste converter.

Questionnaires distributed

Chow’s remark was based on a survey where respondents were asked to suggest options for the waste management system in Penang when the Pulau Burung Landfill reaches its lifespan.

The study was carried out by the Penang Green Council from July 29 to Sept 29 and had 1,484 respondents.

It gathered feedback from questionnaires distributed at shopping malls, wet markets, schools and an online survey.

According to the survey, 70.4 percent of the respondents suggested the strengthening of waste segregation at source and 3R (recycle, reuse and reduce) policies and practices.

66 percent proposed technologies such as waste-to–energy in the Pulau Burung landfill as an option, while only 35.70 percent suggested a new sanitary landfill in Penang.

“The result from this survey will be taken into consideration during the policy making process of the mandatory waste segregation at source,” Chow said.

“In general, waste segregation at source and 3R practices can be further strengthened with strong co-operation from all stakeholders especially the government, private sector, education institutions, NGOs and the community,” he added.

3R concept

Meanwhile, analysis results show that majority of the respondents understood the 3R concept and practise it in their daily lives, Chow said.

Most of the respondents separate recyclable items such as paper (80.2 percent), newspaper (76.9 percent). However, the rate for electronic waste is lower at 35 percent, he added.

Chow said the survey results also illustrates that the implementation of “No Free Plastic Bag Day” since Jul 6, 2009, in Penang is successful.

This was based on 80.7 percent of the respondents who brought along their own bags for shopping, he added.

“Apart from this, the study also found that only 25.1 percent of the respondents practise food waste composting.

“Two reasons identified are not having enough space for composting activity (56.5 percent) and lack of knowledge on how to compost (49.4 percent),” Chow disclosed.