THE Penang government and the local authorities are currently in discussions with the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) and the Department of National Solid Waste Management (JPSPN) to implement the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).
State Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye (PH-Jawi) said the state is now engaging closely with these two regulatory bodies to discuss details of Act 672.
“It is an ongoing discussion with them as we need to analyse the pros and cons of adopting Act 672.
“In fact, we expressed our intention to discuss the possibility of adopting Act 672 during our state executive councillor meeting on Feb 28 this year.
“We anticipate reaching an outcome of the discussion within six months. The negotiation process is still ongoing, and our two local authorities need to submit relevant data on solid waste management and public cleansing carried out in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
“The terms and conditions that we’ve set aim to assess whether the quality and frequency of waste collection meet or exceed current standards implemented in the state,” H’ng said when replying to Lee Boon Heng (PH-Kebun Bunga) and Ong Ah Teong (PH-Batu Lanchang) during the State Legislative Assembly Session today.
Touching on Act 672, H’ng highlighted several advantages, including the provisions for solid waste management funding from the Federal Government, the responsibility for developing and operating waste-to-energy plants, and the appointment of the state’s subsidiary as a concession company.
However, H’ng noted some disadvantages, particularly the exclusion of local councils from solid waste facility planning.
In his oral reply to Lee Khai Loon (PH-Machang Bubok), H’ng emphasised that decentralizing solid waste management is timely, especially given the current Unity government at the Federal level.
“We are currently in the discussion stage, and will carefully consider the details before making a decision,” he added.
Act 672 governs and regulates matters concerning controlled solid waste management and public cleansing.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting