By CHARLES FERNANDEZ | Jan 1, 2010

Closure of RDF plant puts council in a bind

Closed for maintenance: An excavator is seen working on the garbage dumped in the premises of the RDF plant in Kampung Pasir Baru Pasir. Semenyih.

THE Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) technology plant in Kampung Pasir Baru, Semenyih, which has temporarily ceased operations since Dec 26, has put the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) in a bind.

The board has urged the council to look into reviewing its contract with the RDF since the latter had only given a short notice, citing maintenance procedures, for the plant closure. This has made it necessary for the MPKj to look for alternatives for its waste disposal.

The RDF said it would restart operations after Jan 1 but the board was told that if the plant was closed for maintenance work, operations would not restart any time earlier than three months.

“Since it has put us in a difficult situation, we urge the council to review its contract with the RDF, including looking at its past performance,” said Lee Kee Hiong, who is also a member of the infrastructure committee.

The RDF facility has proven to be successful in producing energy and reducing municipal solid waste at the same time, and the sudden turn of events has forced the MPKj to dump garbage at the Sungei Kembong landfill.

RDF, a private company, has a 30-year concession with the MPKj and it is leasing the land in Semenyih where it has built Malaysia’s first RDF research centre and waste management plant.

“The Sungei Kembong landfill is not a feasible alternative to coping with the solid waste management in the Kajang municipality as it is both far and not easily accessible,’’ Lee said.

The board was told that the landfill in Bukit Mahkota, near Beranang, was not an ideal alternative as it was located close to two rivers.

The landfill was closed after a bund built to absorb leachate gave way during a storm, resulting in leachate flowing into Sungai Beranang and Sungai Semenyih.

Council president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman told the councillors that he would request for a meeting with the RDF board to look into the problem.