MELAKA (July 6): The Melaka government is urging for the construction of the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at the Sungai Udang Sanitary Landfill to be expedited, as the tender was awarded over two years ago.

State Housing, Local Government, Drainage, Climate Change, and Disaster Management chairman Datuk Rais Yasin emphasised that the WTE plant or incinerator is urgently needed to extend the lifespan of the landfill, which is expected to be full by March 2026.

"The construction of this WTE plant was recently announced again in the Dewan Rakyat by Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming. The state government and the people are very grateful to the ministry for choosing Melaka.

"The tender for the WTE construction in Melaka was opened more than two years ago, and I understand it has been awarded to a company.

“We are just waiting for it to be implemented promptly," he told reporters after the launching of the Drive-Thru Recycling Center (DTRC) at Taman Bandaraya Bukit Serindit, which was also attended by the mayor of the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB), Datuk Shadan Othman.

Rais elaborated that, on average, about 1,300 tons of waste, including 30% to 40% of solid waste from the construction, commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors, is sent to the Sungai Udang Sanitary Landfill daily.

He was addressing the announcement by Nga on the government's plans to build 18 WTE plants in Peninsular Malaysia by 2040, during the recent Dewan Rakyat session.

The locations of the proposed WTE plants are Kedah (Jabi and Padang Cina), Johor (Bukit Payung, Seelong, Sedili), Pahang (Jabor-Jerangau, Belenggu), Melaka (Sungai Udang), Kuala Lumpur (Rawang), Selangor (Jeram, Tanjung 12, Rawang 2), Penang (Pulau Burung), Perak (Lahat, Taiping, and Manjung), Terengganu (Tertak Batu), and Kelantan (Jedok).

Rais said that the DTRC is an indicator of the MBMB's goal to become a low carbon city by next year.

He added that the DTRC raises awareness of the importance of recycling, supports waste separation at the source starting from households, and generates additional income from recycling activities.

It can handle up to two tons of recyclable materials, from 8am to 6pm, daily.

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