SUNGAI PETANI: The three recycling facilities in Bukit Selambau that caught fire on Sunday failed to comply with the hazardous waste storage guideline set by the Environment Department (DoE).
Kedah DoE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said that an initial inspection at the premises, which had been operating without approval, revealed that the recycling materials were poorly stored, exposing them to the risks of explosions and fire.
"The premises which operated without approval did not comply with the hazardous toxic waste storage specifications stipulated in a guideline issued by the Department of Environment.
"The mixture of wastes that were not properly managed and incompatible also exposes the risk of causing reactions, exploding or causing fire," she said in a statement today.
Sharifah Zakiah said the department is cautiously resuming inventory works at the three premises since the sites are still contaminated.
She said the premises generally stored various waste materials comprising scrap metal, electric and electronic wastes, lithium batteries, transformers and used acid.
"Kedah DoE has resumed the total waste inventory works on the three premises involved in the December 3 blaze after the Fire and Rescue Department's Forensic Unit completed its investigations into the cause of the fire.
"The premises are still contaminated, and personal protection equipment (PPE) is still required to protect field officers from toxic gases.
"The works are being done cautiously and will be stopped if it is raining as materials such as lithium batteries can still trigger a reaction and explode if having contact with water," she said.
She added that for premises that the DoE licences, they are required to employ a competent person to monitor the operation of the premises.
"The licensed premises are also subjected to four mandatory inspections annually by the DoE, and they are also required to submit an Environment Audit Report prepared by a third party at least once a year.
"They are required to renew the licence annually, and the licence could be suspended in the event of failing to achieve satisfactory compliance level," she said.
It was reported earlier that the DoE had issued an operation suspension order against one of the three recycling facilities.
Sharifah Zakiah was reported as saying that the investigation revealed that the premises had operated without a licence to collect and process scheduled waste.
It was reported that a fire broke out at Bukit Selambau on Sunday, affecting three recycling facilities storing recyclable materials such as metal, wires, and copper.
Firefighters took about 80 hours to finally put out the fire.