Don't take Tg Bungah plastic burning complaint lightly, Penang authorities told

The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) said the complaint of a burning smell in Tanjung Bungah area was raised by a "Malaysia My Second Home" resident who lives in the vicinity.

CAP vice-president Fathimah Mohd Idris said the resident's complaint was that he smelled burning plastic at around 4 a.m., two or three times a week, each lasting between one to two hours.

"According to his complaint, he had recorded the incidents of the smell of burning occurring as follows:

"Jan 21, 22, 24, 25, and 31, producing a 'high smell';

"Jan 26, and Feb 1, 'very high smell';

"Jan 27 and Feb 4 and 5, 'light smell';

"Jan 23, 28, 29, 30, and Feb 2, 3, 6, and 7, 'no smell'."

Fathimah said the complainant had alerted the Department of Environment about the problem.

"He and CAP are still waiting for a response from the DOE," said Fathimah.

Fathimah was responding to the query by state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh in the Malaysiakini report.

In the same report, Tanjung Bungah assemblyperson Zahril Khir Johari said he was not aware there was burning of plastic waste in Tanjung Bungah.

Fathimah said: "In light of the fire at the Bedong landfill and now with the illegal burning at Relau, complaints from the public of this nature must not be taken lightly".

"There has to be an immediate and rigorous investigation of the complaint," she stressed.

In the incident at Bedong, Kedah, a fire went on for a week in a landfill where thousands of tonnes of plastic were buried, according to reports.

The reports claimed the "blaze grew from 55sq/m to a whopping 12,000sq/m the following day, twice the size of a football field". - Mkini