SIBU: The Kemuyang sanitary landfill is currently experiencing a worrisome influx of household waste, raising significant concerns about its environmental impact.
Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh said cell one of the landfills has already exceeded its intended lifespan.
“For cell two, we anticipated it would last us for 10 years. But at the current dumping rate, it looks like it is already eight years.
“In 2024, we might have to open up Cell Three,” he said in his speech at the Wealth and E-Waste Collection at Zion Methodist Church here today (Sept 30).
Ting urged the residents not to dispose of everything that would ultimately find its way to the landfill, emphasising that not all items should be treated as waste.
He said that there are recycling companies that actively collect such items.
“If we keep sending them to Kemuyang, very soon we will overuse the landfill. Cell Two was supposed to last for 10 years but it is like almost eight years full of thrash. We want to reduce this. So, don’t throw everything that will end up in Kemuyang,” he stressed.
Illustrating this with an example, Ting pointed out that recycling companies can profitably resell items such as coffee-making machines, a much more environmentally responsible alternative to discarding them in the landfill.
“Many house gardens are very dirty with thrash (filled with unwanted items). We want to go to all houses by using the service of community leaders to tell the people to give away recyclable items to collectors who can make money out of them,” he added.
