DEVELOPED countries are commonly admired by developing countries for being prominently capable of managing their solid waste effectively and sustainably. This is reflected when the concept of 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) is highly embedded into their waste system.

It is evident that the concept of waste recycling is considered as a norm for most households in developed countries, as it is common for their households to practise waste separation at the source. The US, Japan, the UK, Germany, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Estonia and France are among the developed countries that advocate the practice of waste recycling. This is demonstrated when they export tonnes of their plastic waste to other countries to be further recycled.

The intense effort by the developed countries in promoting recycling has led their waste to be sustainably managed, which in turn reduces the various negative environmental impacts to their country. Hence, recycling is seen as an important element towards sustainable solid waste management as it is able to preserve the environment. In fact, under the definition of solid waste management, the concept of recycling is indirectly mentioned, as the definition clearly mentions the element of waste recovery as part of solid waste management.

Although the concept of recycling is considered the best solution in addressing the issue of solid waste, it receives several criticisms. Daniel K. Benjamin, who is the author of the book The Eight Myths of Recycling, pointed out that recycling is not environmentally friendly as “recycling merely changes the nature of pollution, sometimes decreasing it, and sometimes increasing”. He also stressed that, since recycling is also part of the manufacturing process, it may potentially pose a negative effect to the environment.

In a similar note, Per Bylund, the author The Recycling Myth, pointed out that recycling is actually inefficient. He argued that forcing people to transport their recyclable waste to recycling centres may lead to higher auto emission, especially when many people transport their recyclable waste to such centres. Although the idea may sound out of the ordinary, it may have some truth.

In addition, by referring to the recent incident in Pasir Gudang in Johor, its river namely Sg Kim Kim has been highly polluted by toxic waste. The initial investigation done by the government shows that the high pollution in Sg Kim Kim is believed to be caused by waste being dumped by the illegal tyre recycling factories in that area. It is believed that the waste generated from the factories is simply disposed of in the river without undergoing any proper treatment. As a result, about 200 victims consisting of students who went to school near the area have been hospitalised. Fortunately, no one has died. To ensure the safety of the students, Education Minister Maszlee Malik has directed 111 schools in the area of Pasir Gudang to be closed.

On a similar note, referring to the recent news report by Free Malaysia Today on February 15 entitled “Shut down illegal plastic recycling sites in Port Klang, MP Tell Govt”, it demonstrated how the existence of mushrooming illegal recycling operators in Malaysia particularly in Port Klang area has seriously polluted the water and air in the area. This because most of the illegal operators do not follow the strict standard of processing the recyclable plastic waste. It is evident when there a prevalent plastic waste being dispose of in the river and open burning. According to a report by Greenpeace, most illegal operators in Malaysia are not equipped with appropriate processing facilities, which forces them to opt for open burning and, to some extent, dispose of the waste in abandoned buildings, makeshift landfills or in between prawn and fish farms or oil palm plantations.

The sudden increase of imported plastic waste in Malaysia is due to the steps taken by the Malaysian government, when the China government banned importing plastic waste from developed countries in January 2018. As a result, starting between the month of January and July 2018, Malaysia had imported nearly half a million tonnes of plastic waste. But due to the increased imported plastic waste, some illegal operators are unable to cater to the growing plastic waste, which had led to the improper process of disposing the plastic waste.

Consequently, the activities of illegal plastic recycling operators have polluted the environment. In fact, local news report had shown that the fishes near the area of Port Klang may not be safe to be eaten since they have been contaminated by the toxic waste produced by the illegal plastic recycling factories.

In order to tackle this problem, the government needs to strictly enforce the existing law by shutting down illegal recycling operators. Enforcing the law strictly is critical to send message to the illegal recycling factories that the government is serious in stopping them from freely running their operation without complying with the existing law. Such effort should be done continuously until all the culprits get punished.

By doing this, it may show the government’s commitment towards addressing this problem and may serve as deterrent to others who want to commit such a crime. Besides, the public also needs to become the eye and ear for the government, by simply making a report to the relevant authorities if they saw any illegal activities that may pose a negative impact to the environment. – March 14, 2019.

* Haidy Henry Dusim is a senior lecturer at UiTM Sabah.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.