Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in , District of Kuala , Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

CHAPTER 4: PROJECT OPTIONS

4.1 Introduction

Solid waste in the broadest sense includes all the discarded solid materials from municipal, industrial, and agricultural activities. However, for the discussion to follow, solid waste will refer only to those solid wastes, which are the responsibility of, and usually collected by a municipality. Residential and commercial areas, together with some industrial operations, are the sources of these "nonhazardous" municipal wastes. Municipal solid waste is a material difficult to characterize and generally uneconomical to utilize. In this chapter, various aspects of project options are discussed in terms of site option, access road option, technology option and “no project option”.

4.2 Site Option

Environment sanitary landfills are built under strict guidelines to prevent as much environmental impact as possible. Soil, water systems and other effects on the environment are seriously considered before any site is allocated as a landfill.

The Site is currently an oil palm estate and has been identified as infrastructure & utility landuse in the BP7: Jeram, District Council Local Plan, 2025 and solid waste disposal areas can be established at the particular area under the conditions “existing waste disposal areas and expansion only”. Hence, it is the best site for the proposed Project, as it does not contradict the Local Plan and it complements future landuse of the surrounding area. (Refer to Chapter 2: Statement of Need and Figure 2.4). Besides, siting can be one of the most difficult processes in the landfill process. The main considerations are: -

i) Capacity ii) Public involvement in the siting process iii) Hydro-geology/cover material iv) Access v) Proximity to airports

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-1 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

4.2.1 Capacity

In the siting process, the available land area is a key consideration. In order to minimize the transaction costs associated with design, permitting, siting, and closure and post-closure requirements, it is desirable to have a facility that will operate for at least two to three years. In practice, many short-term facilities turn into long-term facilities, so it is important that all aspects of the siting process be observed even when planning a short-term controlled dump. Ideally, a site should be sought with sufficient capacity for 10 - 20 years of operation, particularly in the case of sanitary landfills. The proposed expansion of Sanitary Landfill in Jeram shall have a daily capacity of 1,500-3,000 tonnes/day and is expected to provide municipal waste disposal services for the District of , , Ampang and Kuala Selangor for approximately 8.3 years.

4.2.2 Hydro-Geology

It is desirable to take advantage of the geology of a site. In particular, the types of soil and rock underlying the landfill and the thickness of each soil layer can restrict the migration of the leachate toward groundwater and reduce the concentration of contaminants. For example, clay soils significantly slow the migration of leachate and can reduce the concentration of heavy metal contaminants. A bedding of igneous rock also serves to contain leachate. Sand, on the other hand, will do little to slow leachate migration and has little capacity to remove contaminants. Based on the geology map published by the Mineral and Geoscience Department of (2011), the regional geology of the proposed expansion site is underlain by unconsolidated and semi-consolidated Quaternary alluvial sediments namely Gula Formation which mainly consists of thick marine clay, silt, locally very clayer or silty sand with subordinate amount of gravel as will be discussed in Chapter 4.

4.2.2.1 Siting Guidelines Related To Hydro-Geology

Below are the siting guidelines related to hydro-geology: - Landfills should not be sited:  In wetlands or in an area with a high water table;  In floodplains;  In areas that are close to drinking water supplies; or  Along geological faults or areas which experience frequent seismic activity.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-2 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

Landfills should be sited in areas:  Above clay soils;  Above igneous rock; and  Where cover material is available nearby. The availability of cover material is also an important consideration in the siting decision. The compacted MSW must be covered by 15-30 centimeters of soil at the end of each day's operations. This creates a large demand for cover material and can lead to prohibitive costs if this soil has to be trucked over distances far from the landfill site.

4.2.3 Access Road

To contain hauling costs and discourage the use of illegal dumpsites, it is important that a landfill be located reasonably close to the area it is designed to serve. At the same time, siting a landfill too close to a populated area will expose local residents to the environmental and health threats that landfills may pose. Since urban areas are growing rapidly, especially in developing countries, an area near the edge of existing settlements will very likely be too close to populated areas in the foreseeable future. The ideal location would therefore be sufficiently far from the city to allow for future population growth, but close enough to be reasonably accessible.

In many cases, the use of transfer stations within a city can facilitate the siting of a landfill at a greater distance from population centers. The Collection and transfer part of the Sound Practices section addresses the issue of transfer stations in further detail. The roads that provide access to a landfill must be adequate to handle the types and quantity of vehicles that will be used. Planning a landfill requires evaluation of existing and new roads, and must include provision for maintenance of the roads needed to reach the site.

Accessibility notwithstanding, the geological considerations described above are paramount in ensuring the environmental soundness of a landfill. Even when it is necessary to site a landfill far from a city, the expense that results from additional road construction and increased hauling costs may well be less than the cost of remediating a contaminated drinking water supply.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-3 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

Currently, the Site is well accessible. In term of regional accessibility, a good highway system and state road has increased the level of site accessibility and it is key of enabler of development (refer to Chapter 3, item H: Access to the Project Site).

Table 4.1: Site Evaluation for the Proposed Expansion of Jeram Sanitary Landfill Site Criteria Justification Haul Distance The proposed sanitary landfill is located within the District of Kuala Selangor. Location Restriction i) It is identified as in BP7: Jeram, Council Local Plan, 2025 where solid waste disposal areas could be established at the particular area under the conditions “existing waste disposal areas and expansion only”. Hence, it does not contradict the Local Plan and it complements future landuse of the surrounding area. ii) The proposed expansion site is located within an oil palm estate, i.e., Tuan Mee Estate. Land acquisition has been carried out and obtained by UPEN Selangor. Available Land Use i) The identified land area in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor and is 130.55 acres. ii) The expansion landfill with the shared facilities with the existing Jeram Sanitary Landfill is capable to cater 1,500- 3,000 tonnes per day of solid wastes for 8.3 years.

Site Access The proposed site is well accessible from , Klang and Shah Alam through a good highway system and state roads. Location Environmental i) The whole of the Project Site is an oil palm estate. Conditions ii) No water intake point at the downstream of the Project Site and there is no aesthetic or historical places identified. iii) The nearest Environmental Sensitive Areas (ESA) is shell farms (cockle) in Aquaculture Industrial Zone located 7km east of the Project Site. iv) Buffer zone is sufficient, where the nearest residential area Tuan Mee Estate Worker Quarters are located about 800m from the proposed site.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-4 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

4.2.4 Proximity to Airports

A landfill should not be sited closer than two kilometers from the nearest airport. Birds converging at the landfill may pose a problem for aircraft and the landfill may pose other problems for airport operations if the facilities are located too close to each other. The required separation may be larger depending on the size and type of the landfill and of the airport. There is no airport located within 5km radius impact area from the boundary of the Project Site. The nearest airport, Subang Airport is located 22km east whilst Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is located 58km southeastern region from the Project Site.

4.2.5 Other Considerations

A landfill that is sited in a gently sloping area will facilitate leachate collection. The steepness of the natural slopes within the proposed location ranges predominantly from 0º to 15º in gradient, i.e., 65.55% of the total project area. Landfills should not be sited: (a) in very windy areas, where it would be difficult to control wastes; (b) near existing gas, sewer, water, or electrical lines, unless the landfill definitely does not present a problem to such infrastructure; or (c) near residential areas, churches, schools, etc.

4.2.6 Site Option

Based on the above considerations, the Site is the chosen option for the landfill operations.

4.3 Technology Options

As the site is an expansion of the existing landfill, technological options are limited to level 4 sanitary landfill.

Landfill sites are categorized according to the levels such as follows:- i) Level 0: Open dumping ii) Level 1: Controlled tipping iii) Level 2: Sanitary landfill with a bund and daily cover iv) Level 3: Sanitary landfill with leachate recirculation v) Level 4: Sanitary landfill with leachate treatment

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-5 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

Thus, a level 4 sanitary landfill (in accordance with “The Technical Guideline for Sanitary Landfill, Design and Operation, August 2006 by the Department of Local Government, Ministry of Housing and Local Government) is required to be provided.

4.4 Other Development Option

Another option is to develop the Project Site into an industrial development. Developing the Site into an industrial development seems as an acceptable option considering that landuse surrounding the Project Site is agriculture land, i.e., oil palm estate. However, this option might not compatible to future landuse as envisaged by the Local Authority, as it contradicts the Kuala Selangor District Local Plan 2025, which has allocated the Site as a designated landfill area.

4.5 “No Project Option”

Under the “No Project” or “do nothing” option, the expansion of sanitary landfill will not be constructed and there will be no place to dispose the increasing waste volume. The decision to forego or simply abandon the proposed Project equates to the fact that the existing environment shall be left as it is. Based on the current situation of the existing Jeram Sanitary Landfill on 160 acres of land, it has almost reached its full capacity by this year. The exceedance of waste capacity will cause adverse impacts to the environment.

If the ‘No Project’ option is granted, the proposed expansion of Jeram Sanitary Landfill will not be constructed. There will be no designated area to dispose the increasing amount of waste generated from the Districts of Klang, Shah Alam, Ampang and Kuala Selangor except for Sanitary Landfill and Sanitary Landfill which are located 70km and 80km away respectively from the Districts. Based on the current situation of the existing Jeram Sanitary Landfill which is nearing its closure, if its lifespan couldn’t be extended will cause adverse environmental impacts to the environment. Furthermore, once polluted, the cost associated for remediation of contaminated site will raise. Of the options considered and discussed above, Semi-Aerobic Sanitary Landfill method is found to be the most appropriate and viable project option.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-6 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

4.6 Selected Option

The option of constructing an expansion of sanitary landfill next to the existing Jeram Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, is the selected option for the proposed location. As the site has been identified as infrastructure & utility landuse in the Kuala Selangor Local Plan, 2025, solid waste disposal areas could be established at the particular area under the conditions “existing waste disposal areas and expansion only. Hence, it complements the future landuse of the surroundings area. It also is an environmental friendlier option with semi-aerobic design with sorting facilities and treatment facilities in place.

4.7 Project Development Schedule

The proposed landfill expansion development schedule for the Project is show in Table 4.2. Year 0 refer to the land acquisition, landfill design study & investigation and construction of the landfill cell with initial facilities. Receiving and tipping of wastes start at the mid of the Year 1 which also the start of the operation year. Thereafter, additional landfill cell construction and closure of the cells would be staged according to the concession years with the sequential landfill closure from the Year 3 to 10. The final closure work period start from Year 11 to 12.

4.8 Project Abandonment

The term abandonment refers to the event whereby the proposed expansion Project is withdrawn or halted, may it be permanent or otherwise, as a result of certain circumstances i.e. economic downturn, socially unacceptable. It involves permanent withdrawal of all personnel, equipment, halting operations and dismantling all above and belowground structures, facilities and buildings. The choice of abandonment of the proposed Project will cause social issues in terms of unaesthetic appearances and loss of property and investment to statement, i.e., UPEN Selangor.

Thus, the Project abandonment shall be avoided as much as possible. There are serious consequences with the abandonment of the project, namely: i) Continuous filling of waste, without control, within the current foot print could overspill outside boundary.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-7 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

ii) Increase in height of waste filling could destabilize the current landfill slope. iii) Failure of landfill slope could also release leachate to the environment. iv) The existing leachate treatment plant (LTP) could not cope up with the leachate generation with additional incoming waste.

For these reasons, it is best to construct the landfill expansion works within the vicinity of existing landfill. Furthermore it is not recommended to open up new land with jungle clearance in order to construct a landfill.

EUROPASIA ENGINEERING SERVICES SDN. BHD. 4-8 Detailed EIA for the Proposed Expansion of 130.55 Acres Sanitary Landfill in Mukim Jeram, District of Kuala Selangor, Selangor Darul Ehsan (Rev.01).

Table 4.2: Proposed Development Schedule for Jeram Sanitary Landfill Expansion

Time Schedule (Years) Activity Year 0 Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Detailed EIA Stage (Extension Area) Landfill conceptual design Preparation and submission of Detailed EIA DEIA approval from DOE Pre-Development Stage (Extension Area) Land acquisition Landfill detailed design Project approval from Local Authorities Construction Stage Landfill Construction - Extended Phases Operation Stage Landfill Operation Existing 8.3 Years Expansion of Landfill Operation Landfill Closure Stage Sequential landfill closure

Final closure works

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