12 COVER STORY
@ green | January-February , 2022
Managing and reducing wastes
KDEB Waste Management venturing into establishing waste treatment facilities with modern technology
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
WITH A POPULATION of 6.5 million and another one million foreign workers living and working in Selangor , the size and amount of waste generated in the State are the highest and most extensive in Malaysia .
Selangor contributes about 28 per cent of the country ’ s total waste output and has been increasing exponentially over the years .
Waste management and public cleansing is a dangerous and challenging business , but somebody must do the dirty job to collect , transfer , treat and dispose of it .
Established in 2016 , KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd ( KDEBWM ) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated ( MBI ), managing domestic waste collection public cleansing
services in Selangor .
Since 2019 , KDEBWM was also entrusted to manage domestic waste collection and bulky waste at Industrial , Commercial and Institutions ( ICI ) and clean public parks .
KDEBWM Managing Director Ramli Mohd Tahir said : “ The waste management business and services are no longer limited to just collecting waste and disposing it to the landfills .
“ As the waste output continues to increase , we can ’ t afford to take up more land for landfills every six to seven years . Eventually , we will run out of space . It is no longer sustainable and safe .
“ KDEBWM has taken the responsibility to push the State to address this issue and look into sustainable solutions and initiatives to manage all wastes .”
Initiatives and solutions
KDEBWM is committed to implementing recycling initiatives in Selangor and establishing Material Recovery Facilities ( MRF ).
Ramli shared : “ By having proper MRFs , recycling centres , we hope to minimise waste sent to the landfills , as well as reduce illegal dumping .
“ Plastic wastes and non-biodegradables make up about 30 per cent of the waste outputs and are sent to the recycle centres .
“ We already set up two recycling centres located at Meru and Bandar Bukit Puchong . Each centre processes about 15 to 20 tonnes of recycled material per day .
“ And we will launch five more recycle centres this year . By 2023 , 12 recycle centres are expected to be built at respective local councils .”
He said with more MRFs , KDEBWM can collect and recycle more , and fewer wastes are sent to landfills . He also disclosed a demand for recycled plastic waste and potential business prospects .
“ We are currently talking to three companies to build a biodiesel plant , which requires a consistent supply of plastics .”
Apart from the recycling , KDEBWM is also exploring sustainable solutions for waste treatment .
“ We are talking about how to find ways to do a better treatment for the waste , which we collect before it ends up at the landfill .
“ There is potential to establish and improve sustainable disposal treatments , and this is a big opportunity for the company and the State ,” he said , adding that there must also be political will to do it .
KDEBWM is currently venturing into other opportunities , such as establishing modern technology of waste treatment facilities .
“ It is quite shocking that as of 2022 , Malaysia has yet to have a treatment plant to handle the waste generated in the nation .”
The State government has already mandated KDEBWM to develop a waste treatment facility in Selangor .
“ We have appointed the technology provider to build a waste treatment plant in Selangor .
“ This waste treatment plant is more sustainable and greener base and provides a safe , technologically advanced means of waste disposal that reduces greenhouse gases , generates clean energy and recycles metal .
“ We are confident that we can embark on waste treatment facilities or other disposal facilities in Selangor in a smarter way .”
The waste management business
To operate and manage a successful and cost-efficient waste management company , Ramli highlighted several vital factors .
“ We need to have a clear business plan , with a strong foundation of management teams and assets to mobilise daily operations .
“ At KDEBWM , we believe in quality rather than quantity . So , we roped in