He said a decision was taken at a meeting several months ago to stop transporting garbage by boat from the island to the mainland.

“All garbage will be processed there. There will no longer be issues such as garbage from boats falling into the sea due to the waves or when blown by strong winds, which will subsequently cause pollution and affect marine life.

“But we will educate tourists and residents in Pulau Redang about the incinerator system so that they will be disciplined. Without discipline, the technology is meaningless,” he added.

He said all approval processes at the local authority level have been completed, and work to construct the incinerator facility is expected to begin in one or two months.

“We have conducted the pilot study in Pulau Redang, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. The UNDP has approved for one area to be used as a garbage collection point,” he said.

He said the state government is not too concerned about costs as the main focus is solving the issue of garbage piles in Redang which can affect the people’s health and well-being.

Yesterday, residents of Kampung Baru in Pulau Redang said they were becoming increasingly anxious about the garbage heaps on the tourist island. They urged the authorities to take immediate action for their well-being and to protect the state’s tourism image.