GEORGE TOWN, Aug 20 — The Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) is targeting an increase in the mainland’s recycling rate from 42 per cent now to 70 per cent in four years.
Newly-reappointed MPSP president Datuk Rozali Mohamud said they must be ambitious to achieve Penang’s objective of becoming a green state.
“It is only with a high target that we will be able to reach our green state goal and also to reduce carbon emission in the state,” he said after he was sworn in at Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s office in Komtar today.
Rozali said MPSP launched a Seberang Perai Strategic Plan for 2018 to 2022 with a main goal of achieving low carbon emission.
This included a targeted 50 per cent reduction in solid waste move to landfills by 2022.
He said MPSP will work hard to achieve the state’s goal of becoming the first green state in the country.
“We have planned 82 programmes and 202 activities to turn Seberang Perai into a smart and accessible city,” he said.
When announcing Rozali’s reappointment as the MPSP president, Chow said the local council has set a recycling rate target that is higher than those achieved by developed countries.
He said the solid waste produced per capita in Seberang Perai has reduced from 1.6kg per capita per day in 2016 to 1.09 per capita per day in 2017.
“MPSP’s goal is to reduce it further to 0.8kg per capita per day by year 2022,” he said.
Rozali’s reappointment takes effect from August 16 until December 31, 2019.
Chow said he was the first MPSP president who was internally promoted to the position on July 1 last year.
He said in the one year as its president, Rozali has held on to the “MPSP by Design Not By Chance” principle.
Rozali also introduced the “Management by Walking Around” method to ensure all unit heads and heads of department are more hands on in handling municipal issues in Seberang Perai.