LYNAS Malaysia has been urged to return its radioactive waste to Australia, failing which its operating licence should be withheld. 

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said at a public hearing with Lynas’ operating review executive committee today that this was in line with the Pakatan Harapan government’s promise to protect the environment. 

She said the licence given to Lynas requires that its waste management involves recycling, failing which, Lynas would be required to plan and site a permanent disposal facility (PDF). The waste should be returned to Australia if Lynas could not meet both requirements.

“However, in a sustainability framework, it should be returned to Australia, failing which, PDF; failing which, recycled. That is in the context of sustainability,” she said in Kuantan, Pahang. 

Fuziah said Lynas had agreed to send back the waste to Australia, but she was unsure if the waste agreed upon was Water Leached Purification (WLP) Residue or Neutralisation Underflow (NUF) Residue. 

She added Lynas often talked about NUF but never mentioned WLP, which Fuziah described as radioactive waste. 

“But I want (Lynas) to return WLP waste to Australia and the Kuantan people will not accept anything less. Failing which, PDF and failing which, it should not be allowed to renew its licence,” said Fuziah during the session with the public. 

Meanwhile, Lynas radiation safety general manager Prof Ismail Bahari said international conventions state that the best method of waste management was “cradle to cradle” instead of “cradle to grave”, referring to recycling and buried waste, respectively. 

He said the Atomic Energy Licensing Baord (AELB) and Department of Environment (DoE) had stated that the best solution for waste management was to find ways for it to be reused. 

“If that fails, a PDF will be proposed,” he told the review committee. 

He added it was wrong to associate scheduled waste as hazardous material and that it was Lynas’ responsibility to prove that NUF was not hazardous, despite its classification as scheduled waste. 

However, the committee rebutted the statement and said the waste produced was hazardous but at a different level. 

“We cannot generalise scheduled waste as non-hazardous as the hazardous rate differs. It is hazardous but at a different level,” said a committee member. 

The public hearing also involved representatives from civil society groups, the Health and International Trade and Industries Ministries, Pahang’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health, and industry experts. – November 11, 2018.