16 Landfills To Be Closed Down - Najib

KUALA LUMPUR, -- The government plans to close down 16 landfills deemed to be in "critical" condition soon, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.He said the facilities, mostly located in the Klang Valley, would be closed at a cost of RM160 million using environment-friendly and safe methods.Najib said the government had appointed a consultant to look into the exercise and would select companies to carry out the job.

"We want to close the landfills soon but it all depends on when the contracts are awarded and the amount of time needed," he said.Najib told reporters this after launching the environment-friendly rehabilitation of Taman Beringin landfill and its leachate treatment plant in Jinjang here today. Asked when the contracts to the successful companies would be awarded, he said: "I think probably by next year we should be ready to award the contracts."

Najib also said that early education was important to ensure that Malaysians had the right attitude vis-a-vis waste disposal."It has to come in the form of public education. In developed countries, people separate the household waste they generate. We haven't done so yet but we're coming to that stage," he said.To a question, Najib said the government was keen on using incinerators for waste disposal provided the technology was suitable.

Opened in 1994, the 14ha Taman Beringin landfill was officially closed on March 15 2006 after it was found to have been polluting the environment.Cypark Sdn Bhd, which has been tasked with overseeing the closure of the site, plans to reinvent it as a recreational centre for the public.Najib commended the company for having developed its own expertise in this field."I hope that Taman Beringin will serve as a redevelopment model that can be emulated by other local governments," he added.

-- BERNAMA