Plan to use Semakau for offshore refuse dumping
THE WESTERN PART of Pulau Semakau, an offshore island south-west of Sentosa, has been set aside for rubbish dumping, Environment Minister Dr Ahmad Mattar said yesterday.
Refuse is now burnt at the two incinerators at Tuas and Ulu Pandan, and dumped at grounds in Tampines and Lim Chu Kang. A third incinerator will go up at Senoko within a few years, and a fourth will be necessary after 2300. The Lorong Halus dumping site in Tampines is being expanded.
But it may be necessary to dump rubbish on offshore islands after 1997, said Dr Matter. Pulau Semakau has been earmarked for this purpose.
About 5,000 tonnes of rubbish are being generated each day. About 85 per cent of it is burnt and the rest dumped. The amount of rubbish produced is expected to go up to 7,000 tonnes a day by the year 2010, and 7,500 tonnes a day 20 years later.
Dr Matter was replying to Dr Aline Wong, the Member of Parliament for Changkat and also chairman of the government parliamentary committee on health and environment.
The minister assured Dr Wong, who cautioned that locating refuse disposal offshore would raise operational costs, that the cost-effectiveness of each move would be looked into.
Dr Wong also called for guidelines on licensing private waste collectors to be drawn up as soon as possible. The guidelines should spell out clearly terms such as the types of vehicles and methods to be used, and the conditions under which the licenses may be withdrawn.
And with the licensing scheme in operation, all private waste collectors should be charged disposal fees, even for loads under one tonne, said Dr Wang. This would prevent commercial operators from trying to escape payment by breaking their loads either at collection point or near the dumping ground, causing long queues and traffic jams.
The ministry has exempted disposal fees for loads of less than one tonne to encourage proper refuse disposal by small contractors or private households.
In reply, Dr Mattar said there were no such off-loading activities.
Source : Business Times, March 23, 1988
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