JERANTUT: Less than a week into Ramadan, some 10,000 tonnes of leftover food and plastic materials are being wasted daily.
Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said increased disposal of leftover food and plastic materials has threatened drainage system and rivers.
He said such an act carried out by locals, night market traders, Ramadan bazaar operators and eateries could lead to pollution.
Apart from plastic materials, he said disposing food that is still good has also become a habit of consumers and eateries which could affect the drainage system and cause odour pollution in residential areas.
“The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) estimates that about 10,000 tonnes of good food and plastic are thrown away a day across Peninsular Malaysia at the beginning of Ramadan.
“This number is expected to increase as more consumers are expected to spend until the end of Ramadan. In fact, on normal days, the same practice occurs among the people,” he said.
He told this to reporters after opening the Primary Voting Works event under the Environment and Water Ministry’s allocation for the Pahang Drainage Irrigation Department, here, today.
Also present were the State Tourism, Culture, Environment, Plantation and Commodities Committee chairman, Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin; State FELDA, Cooperatives, Entrepreneurs and Consumer Affairs Committee Chairman, Datuk Nazri Ngah and Irrigation and Drainage Department Director-General Datuk Ir Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali.
Tuan Ibrahim said, throwing away food that is still good, especially in the month of Ramadan, is a wasteful habit and wasting is prohibited by Islam because it can be given away to the needy.
“Disposal of plastic can clog drainage systems that will cause flash floods. If rivers and seas are filled with plastic or wastes, pollution will arise and threaten aquatic life,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said residents and eateries or factory operators should dispose of food waste, plastic, kitchen essentials to rubbish bins to be collected by employees of Alam Flora and SWCorp.
He said the regular disposal of garbage could help the government reduce the cost of cleaning the drainage system in urban areas.-NST