By comparison, he says, landfills run around 32 ringgit a tonne, while incinerators cost a hefty 120 ringgit a tonne. In addition, the price of installing a Top is less than half that of other conventional waste-treatment facilities with comparable capacity. Since 1997, the Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research has supervised that testing in Bangi, just south of Malaysia's rain-drenched capital. Researchers found that the technology, though developed in a relatively dry American climate, is as effective in the tropics of Malaysia as it is in Iowa, says Chain Cycle Executive Vice-President Kumar Tharmalingam. The company now awaits the government response to a bid submitted last March to install 12 medium-sized plants around Kuala Lumpur.
Tops seem well suited for Malaysia.
It's very competitive for smaller scale needs. Tops are more easily regulated, and therefore, easier to switch on and off. That makes Tops particularly well suited for Malaysia's remote hilltop and island resorts such as Langkawi in the northwest, says Chain Cycle's Tharmalingam. The island has about 11,000 hotel rooms which produce 30 tonnes of waste on weekdays and a hefty 140 tonnes on weekends. The British Virgin Islands, a tourist destination in the Caribbean, recently ordered a Top from IET after visiting the prototype in Malaysia.