Besides this, the ministry is also building five mini-incinerators on Pulau Tioman, Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Pangkor, Pulau Labuan and in Cameron Highlands. We urge the Malayisan government not to set-up harmful facilities with discredited technologies such as incineration. Landfills and incinerators are only end-of-pipe solutions.

By disposing waste in a landfill or by incinerating them, the problem is only deferred not solved! Firstly, landfilling produces leachate containing toxic chemicals which would eventually leak. Landfill leachate has been responsible for contaminating ground water supplies and surface water ecosystems in communities all over the world. The extent of damage by leachate is largely unknown, given the complexity of leachate flows within landfills, the complex systems of aquifers, which may be impacted, and a lack of data. Although the impacts are uncertain, the precautionary principle should apply given the toxic nature of the materials involved.

Similarly, incineration is also a dangerous technology, with emissions and ashes containing hazardous materials, including heavy metals, toxic gases and organic compounds such as dioxin. Despite reductions of some chemicals in stack emissions, modern incinerators nevertheless still emit numerous toxic substances to the atmosphere as well as in other residues such as fly ash and bottom ash. Moreover, reductions of dioxins and other chemicals in stack gases commonly leads to increased releases of these same chemicals in the other incinerator residues.

Besides these, the micrograms of pollutants per cubic meter of exhaust gases from the incinerator together become hundreds of tonnes of air pollutants every year. At the end of the day, no matter what technology has been tacked on, incineration remains a means of transferring waste from one form to another and then dispersing it into the environment.

Cancer, birth defects, reproductive dysfunction, neurological damage and other health effects are known to occur at very low exposures to many of the metals, organochlorines and other pollutants released by incineration facilities. Increased cancer rates, respiratory ailments, reproductive abnormalities and other health effects are noted among people living near some incinerators, according to scientific studies, surveys by community groups and local physicians. Moreover many pollutants released in incinerator air emissions have been shown to accumulate in and on food crops. While thorough washing of produce may remove a portion of pollutants on crop surfaces, a significant amount will remain.

There is already sufficient human health and environmental contamination evidence to reject incineration and landfilling based on the precautionary principle. Hence, we urge the Malaysian government to develop and implement waste minimization efforts, move towards cleaner technologies and embrace the path of sustainable development. Aside from creating job and livelihood opportunities, waste diversion from landfilling and incineration would conserve resources and prevent the contamination of the environment with persistent organic pollutants, climate-warming greenhouse gases and other toxic releases.

We need to put a stop to dirty waste disposal technologies. We must move towards sustainable consumption and lifestyle so that we do not generate more waste. Organics must be diverted away from landfills for composting, recyclables returned to the economy, virgin materials replaced with recycled materials. No public money should be used to fund projects that will bury or burn waste and end up releasing greenhouse gases and other environmental pollutants. Instead, the Malaysian government should expedite the formulation and implementation of regulations with regards waste segregation and waste reduction to promote reuse, composting and safe recycling.