The continued use of the Bukit Tagar sanitary landfill would be far cheaper than opting for the proposed Kepong incinerator, argued the anti-incinerator group Kuala Lumpur Rejects Incinerator Action Committee (KTI).

The committee’s chairperson Isaiah Jacob pointed out that  it would cost RM112.2 million annually to dispose off Kuala Lumpur’s garbage using the landfill, whereas adding the incinerator would push the cost to RM137.60 million.

“In short, the operational cost of the incinerator is RM25.40 million higher than the current method

“Where is the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) going to find new revenue to cower this additional cost? The answer is in the hike in assessment and land taxes,” he said in a statement yesterday, pointing out that even Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Mansor had publicly acknowledged this.

The incinerator is slated for construction  next to the Taman Beringin waste transfer station, from which the city’s waste is currently hauled to Bukit Tagar some 80 kilometres away for disposal.

In September last year  Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that, the waste transfer station currently handles 2,400 tonnes of solid waste daily, but has capacity for only 1,700 tonnes.

Meanwhile, Isaiah also slammed the government for failing to mention that incinerators typically have a lifespan of 10 to 12 years, based on the experience of overseas operators.

He said Bukit Tagar can handle 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes of garbage today with a total capacity of 120 million tonnes, of which only 1.4 million tonnes have been filled.

He pointed out that the lifespan of Bukit Tagar stretches to  2050 even if it receives 5,000 tonnes daily.

In comparison, DBKL currently disposes of about 2,500 tonnes of solid and bulk waste per day.