Need for plan to deal with industrial waste
WASTE MANAGEMENT
The collection, treatment and disposal of industrial waste is a major issue facing the country today. In the first part of an on-going series, we will look at the definition of industrial waste and hazards they pose.
SUCCESS often brings with it new problems. This is the case with Malaysia’s rapid industrial growth. As factories spring up and start to churn out a myriad of products, so too do they generate waste — industrial waste in the hundreds of thousands of tonnes.
How to deal with industrial waste in an efficient, environmentally acceptable and cost-effective way has become a major concern of the public, environment groups and the Government.
Currently, there is no comprehensive system in place to deal with industrial waste and the problem is worsening
WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL WASTE?
The layman almost always associates "industrial waste" with toxic or radioactive waste, with graphic pictures of victims exposed to radioactivity lingering in the mind.
Industrial waste experts lament that rarely can a public discussion on industrial waste be held without references being made to the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl.
In essence, industrial waste is the name given to the different types of waste generated from the various manufacturing processes that take place in factories and plants.
"Scheduled waste" is defined in the Malaysian Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) regulations as those wastes falling within a schedule of 107 categories which are principally generated by industry.
The term "toxic waste" is commonly used to refer to scheduled or Industrial waste. But this can be quite misleading. The question of whether a substance is toxic or not would depend on the type and amount of the material a person is exposed to. While all toxic wastes come under the "scheduled wastes" category, not all scheduled wastes are toxic.
All scheduled wastes are, however, hazardous. Hazardous wastes have one or more of the following four main characteristics:
• Ignitable: these can create fires or explode under certain conditions. Exam-pies include solvents;
• Corrosive: they are capable of corroding metals, and include acids;
• Reactive: react violently with water or oil, e.g. cyanide electroplating wastes; and,
• .Toxic: harmful when ingested or absorbed through the skin. Examples are metals containing chromium, lead or mercury.
THE WASTE MAKERS
Scheduled wastes of various types and in varying quantities are generated by almost all types of industries in such activities as the processing of raw materials, manufacturer of products and in the operation of public utilities.
There are two major categories of industrial-waste generators. The primary high volume generators are, among others, the petroleum, metals, electronic, chemicals, wood treatment, paper, textile, transport and leather industries.
The smaller generators are the automobile and equipment repair shops, construction firms, laundromats, dry cleaners, pesticide applicators and a range of other businesses.
It is estimated that small-scale operators contribute to about 30 per cent of the country’s industrial wastes.
A recent survey has indicated that approximately 337.000 tonnes of scheduled wastes were generated in Peninsular Malaysia last year. This figure is expected to increase to 500,000 tonnes by the year 2000.
This does not include household, hospital and radioactive wastes that are also being generated.
Because there are no designated disposal sites that provide treatment and safe disposal facilities for industrial waste, factories have been forced to store them within their premises.
In many cases, these stored wastes not only take up valuable space but also pose significant risks to the public and the environment.
The executive director/chief executive of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Mr Tan Keok Yin, was quoted in a recent news report as saying that the manufacturing industry welcomes any move to address the mounting problems of waste disposal.
"Because of the industries’ pressing need for the facility, the parties should get down to the business of constructing a plant," he was quoted as saying.
While environmentalists generally agree on the need for a comprehensive system to deal with Malaysia’s industrial waste, they contend that disposal plants should not be seen as the sole solution to the country’s industrial waste problems.
They are of the view that waste generators should do everything possible to minimise waste output by introducing advanced, environment-friendly technology in their operations.
Source : New Sunday Times April 25 1993
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