The site is behind a former National Service camp, 10km east of here, at the far reaches of Jalan Gajah Mati, Machang Bubok.
Residents stumbled on to the site after noticing smoke in the area, Machang Bubok assemblyman Lee Khai Loon said today.
The 1.29ha site borders a brick-making factory. The landowners claimed they were unaware it had been turned into a dump site, Lee said.
He said the landowners have lodged a police report and have barricaded the site.
He also said these dumps were uncommon as construction waste was usually dumped in cleared jungles, as in the case of Bukit Teh, 3km west of the new site, where mounds of rubbish from China were spotted in March last year.
“There is no more dumping at the Bukit Teh site. This new site is surprising as the items dumped there include local waste.
“During the Covid-19 lockdown, there was little illegal dumping. But now, as things go back to normal, we are getting more reports of air pollution and newer dumping grounds,” he told FMT.
Lee said many residents have been calling up his service centre complaining about the “foul, burnt plastic” smell in the Alma area not far away, within his constituency.
He urged those who spot open burning to report to the local authorities or the Department of Environment immediately.
“We suspect they are burning waste late at night and it is hard to spot the place. As of now, we can only report to the DoE and hope they can take action.”
Checks by FMT on Google Earth showed the site was cleared between May 3, 2019 and Jan 22 this year, with mounds of rubbish clearly seen in the aerial photos.
In response, Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) mayor Rozali Mohamud said the land behind the NS camp had been repeatedly trespassed into.
He said the council had put up boom gates but they were removed.
He said the council would not tolerate “environmental criminals” and would ensure those responsible would be hauled to court after enough evidence had been gathered.
Rozali said the council now required all industries in Seberang Perai to declare how much waste they were dumping and which hauliers were transporting them.
“We are developing a system where the declared waste by these companies must match the amount dumped at the council’s own landfill.
“Hauliers, henceforth, are also required to fit global positioning systems (GPS) so as to track waste hauliers.”