Raising a stink: Sandakan townships plagued by foul dumpsite odour

SANDAKAN – A pungent stench that has long engulfed housing estates in the most populated and developed satellite townships of Sandakan has led The Vibes to discover the dire condition of the district’s only dumpsite in Mile 8, Jalan Lintas Sibuga.  

Residents of Bandar Utama Mile 6 and Bandar Sibuga Jaya, which are about 3km from the dumpsite, have complained that the foul smell of rubbish would engulf their homes almost every evening.

Bandar Sibuga Jaya includes the prominent residential areas of Taman Mawar and Taman Sibuga.

Some have even moved away from the area because of the unbearable pong.

The landfill, which is about 10 acres huge, has been utilised since the 1980s, but no noticeable upgrade has been made to the site.  

About 500 tonnes of rubbish are sent to the dumpsite daily.  

The holes in the ground that were dug to place the rubbish now appear to be full. So bulldozers are used to spread the rubbish on the site, resulting in mountains of untreated garbage.

Once a landfill is full, it is proper to “cap” its ground with a new synthetic cover so that it does not emit odour into the surroundings. However, this is not done here.

Sandakan MP Vivian Wong said she had brought the matter to the Sandakan Environment Department last year. She said the city has continued to use the dumpsite despite it not complying with the environmental rules and regulations for years.  

The dumpsite, which is managed by the district’s local authority the Sandakan Municipal Council, has not been properly operated or managed, unlike landfill facilities in other parts of Malaysia, she said.  

“It is a health and safety time bomb,” Wong said to The Vibes.  

No leachate treatment. No landfill gas treatment. Rubbish is simply being sent to the location and slowly being piled up to be a man-made mountain,” she stressed, adding that it poses a serious health hazard to the people of Sandakan.  

No plans to relocate landfill: Sandakan Municipal Council

When contacted, Sandakan Municipal Council president Benedict Asmat said the council has no plan to relocate the dumpsite so far.  

The Vibes spoke to waste management consultant Peter Wong, who had visited the dumpsite in 2019.  

He said that to begin with, its location is not suitable as a landfill, as the site is built on mangrove land. It is also right next to the river mouth of Sg Seguntor, where it flows into the sea.  

The dumpsite is also located a mere 300m from the nearest housing estate, Taman Seri Labuk.  

Peter said the poorly operated dumpsite is a sore sight, as the garbage is exposed. 

Uncovered rubbish is suspected to be washed out to the sea when the area experiences a heavy storm. 

In November last year, The Vibes reported that Sandakan’s once-famous Pantai Pasir Putih no longer lives up to its name and glory days of yore, as the beach has been besieged by wave upon wave of rubbish. 

While people are pointing fingers at one another for the issue, Peter said that the rubbish bits scattered around the shores of Sandakan are possibly from the dumpsite, swept out from Sg Seguntor and into the sea.   

In addition to that, the waters around the dumpsite have been badly polluted. 

The untreated leachate at the dumpsite is also discharged into the river and sea, posing a serious threat to marine life and also the residents living along the river, especially those who are utilising water from it daily.  

The waste treatment and disposal site in Sandakan has to be seriously looked into and improved to ensure social and environmental aspects are adequately protected,” he said.  

New dumpsite should be distant from residential areas, nature: waste management consultant

Peter said problems that arise from poor waste management may not be instant or apparent, but their impacts could affect people’s livelihood and health, which matter most to them.  

He opined that a new long-term engineered sanitary landfill should be developed and will require an area of about 100 acres. It must be placed far away from residential houses, rivers, and the sea.  

He said the current dumpsite should be rehabilitated, as it has the potential to be a valuable industrial area.  

Peter estimates that it would cost the government approximately RM50 million to set up a new engineered sanitary landfill, but a public-private partnership model could be adopted to reduce the burden on the government. – The Vibes, June 20, 2022