Malaysia snarled in plastic mess
Malaysia snarled in plastic mess
By Bob Khan
KUALA LUMPUR (UPI): Malaysia's economic boom has become
entangled in a plastic-packaged environmental nightmare.
You can see it most clearly in the virtual mat of multi-colored
garbage that bobs along the Klang River flowing through the
capital.
Plastic bags, cellophane wrap, drinking straws, plastic foam
fast-food boxes -- they are the cast-offs of an increasingly
prosperous society and Malaysians are paying a price.
From the big cities to remote villages of the Asian nation,
the government has been fighting a losing battle against the
plastic glut, with very limited success. Ahmad Fuad Embi, river
engineering director for Kuala Lumpur's Drainage and Irrigation
Department, says some 100 tons of trash are fished out of the
Klang each day, most of it plastic. He is frustrated with the
clear failure of a much-touted river clean-up program launched in
1993.
"Since the launch of the campaign, the amount of rubbish we
have to collect from the rivers has increased instead of
declining," Ahmad lamented.
"People do not seem to understand that whatever they throw in
the drains and rivers will accumulate into a huge bulk of
rubbish."
The amount of plastic dumped in the river has been so great
that it has become permanently embedded in the river floor. Even
a monster sand-removal machine developed in Australia, known as
the "Water Master," was unable to complete a dredging project
because of the plastic build-up.
"The sand in the rivers had actually become very deeply
layered with plastic," Ahmad said.
Malaysia has one of the fastest growing economies in the
world. Its gross domestic product has reported a growth of more
than 8 percent annually for the past eight years. Its 19.2
million people have a per capita annual income of US$2,227.
Beyond the rivers, Malaysia's plastic explosion is also
endangering its surrounding oceans. Li Ching Lim, scientific
officer for the World Wildlife Fund of Malaysia, said the refuse
poses a massive threat to sea life.
"Plastic bags can smother coral reefs and can suffocate and
strangle marine animals such as turtles and marine mammals," Li
said. "Leatherback turtles, for example, may mistake plastic bags
for their diet -- the jellyfish -- and die after ingesting them."
Even if awareness of these problems are raised, the plastic
already in Malaysia's environment will remain part of the
country's landscape for a long time. The plastic trash is not
bio-degradable, so it is immune to the bacteria and fungi that
consume organic materials.
While the country has been consulting international experts in
garbage disposal, solutions are elusive.
Incineration, used to destroy other wastes, is not a safe
option for the plastic because of the toxins emitted when it is
burned.
Depending on the type of plastic involved, hazardous gases,
including dioxin, carbon monoxide, ammonia and hydrogen cyanide
are among the byproducts produced by burning plastic, according
to Chee Ong Koh, forensics director for Malaysia's Chemistry
Department.
Increasingly, Malaysia is looking to recycling and getting
support from business and local governments.
Various municipalities in Malaysia have begun rigorous efforts
to collect plastics, glass, paper and aluminum and steel cans for
re-use. They are trying desperately to deal with the costs that
relate to the need to separate garbage streams and transport
bulky plastic items to recycling plants. Plastic also declines in
quality each time it is recycled.
Christina Hashim, founder of the Trees organization, which
stands for "Treat Every Environment as Special," says it will
take a radical transformation of consumer attitudes to make any
dent in the plastic overload.
"We often get lazier as we get richer," she said, "because we
can throw away things and can afford to buy new ones."