Speaking to Bernama, Worldwide Holdings Bhd operations engineer Azimie Zakaria said the amount of waste has gone up from the usual 500 tonnes a day to 1,500 tonnes per day since the floods occurred.
“We receive inert waste such as bulk, garden and construction waste, and now household items damaged by floods,” he said.
Worldwide Holdings is wholly owned by the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).
To ensure the smooth process of post-flood waste management, Azimie said the operating hours at the 145-acre landfill which was opened in 2004, had been extended by another five hours from 8am to 11pm.
“We hope to speed up the process of clearing trash piled up on roadsides and in makeshift dumps in residential areas,” he said.
Azimie said most of the waste trucks were three-tonne RoRo vehicles operated daily by the Sepang branch of KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd (KDEB) workers.
“In residential areas, workers will collect all types of damaged items. It is quite difficult to use machines like a backhoe because that will block entrances and exit ways for residents.”
A RoRo truck makes five trips daily from a residential area to the landfill, he said.
“Before the floods, 200 to 300 RoRo lorries entered the landfill every day, but now the number can reach up to 400 a day. On average, one lorry can only carry flood waste from one house.”
Azimie said the operating costs were expected to increase by 40% due to extended operating hours.
After collection, waste is sorted by separating materials which can be recycled to reduce the amount of rubbish that needs to be disposed of, he said.
“This rubbish will then be compressed using machinery such as a backhoe. After that, it will be covered with red soil to avoid vector insects and odours.”
Meanwhile, the Sepang branch KDEB chief of operations Ahmad Fauzan Hushim said the company’s routine cleaning task had been temporarily halted to ensure that the damaged items could be brought to the landfill immediately.
He said the company made full use of all its 34 three-tonne RoRo lorries and 136 workers.
He asked residents to be patient, and gave his assurance that the company would speed up its cleaning work.