Ipoh first city in Asia to use thermowaste system

Ipoh will be the first city in Asia to recycle 100 percent of its waste using eco-friendly technology through the Thermowaste system once the plant’s construction is completed. 

Ipoh mayor Rumaizi Baharin said the new technology is aimed at providing additional value to all waste through a more efficient recycling method, in line with the circular economy concept.

He said the technology involves a sterilisation and cleaning process, where heat, steam, and pressure are applied to solid waste without separating it beforehand. 

After processing the solid waste for 30 minutes, it is ready to be separated into four different fractions, namely biomass, plastic, metal, and inert.

“All these basic commodities will then be sold in the market, making the waste materials reusable in different forms. For instance, solid waste converted into biomass will be sold as a fuel substitute for coal in industrial applications,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Rumaizi also said that a sanitary landfill for solid waste disposal is not ideal because it requires a large area of land for burying trash, rendering the land unproductive. 

Therefore, he said Thermowaste Mancuso Energy Sdn Bhd, Ipoh City Council (MBI), and Selekta Spektra have joined hands through a memorandum of understanding signed on Oct 17, 2023 to make the project successful. 

This is to ensure a cleaner environment and a better future in line with one of the strategic cores in MBI’s Strategic Plan for environmental sustainability, he said. 

In a separate statement, MBI said that they were recognised as an Excellent Local Authority in the Local Government Development Ministry’s Environmental Health Campaign 2022 in conjunction with the campaign to eradicate dengue hotspots in local government areas. 

The award was presented by Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming during the ministry-level 2023 World Environmental Health Day celebration at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

- Bernama