Towards Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management in Malaysia

Abstract

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The increasing amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and the lack of strategic improvements on solid waste management in Malaysia require urgently the attention of the government and the public.It has been estimated that 1.17 kg/capita/day of MSW is generated in Malaysia, 65% of which is household solid waste that has doubled over the past 20 years due to population growth and urbanisation. Without a sufficient waste treatment and recycling infrastructure in place, most of the MSW is destined to continue to be landfilled. Not only it can cause pollution and health hazards, MSW is also one of the major sources of global methane emissions accounting for 11%. As methane is the second largest contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions after carbon dioxide, it is critical that Malaysia develops systemic sound solid waste management as part of its climate actions guided by the Paris agreement. Also, by treating waste as resource, the recent shift in the government strategy to move towards the circular economy should be aligned with SDG 12 targets (Responsible Consumption and Production). Although the quantity of recyclable waste collected tripled between 2018 and 2021, the officially reported recycling rate of 31.5% in 2021 remains questionable as the recycling infrastructure in Malaysia is not yet well established. This points to the significant efforts Malaysia needs to make to move towards a sustainable waste management regime, and to achieve its ambition for reaching a recycling target of 40% by 2025.

Malaysia started implementing a plan for moving towards sustainable waste management in the early 1990s. However, the recycling programmes were not well received by the public at that time, and it was only in 2001, that policy goals for sustainable waste management have been included in the regulatory landscape through the 8th Malaysia Plan (2001-2005). In 2005, the National Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management was developed to guide solid waste policy planning and resource allocation. Two years after, the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) was created that came into enforcement in September 2011 in six out of the thirteen states (Perlis, Kedah, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor) and two out of the three federal territories (i.e. Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya).

This partial adoption of the Act has created inconsistency in waste management and planning as well as incomplete waste data gathering. This,has led to ineffective waste management practices, that, in turn, resulted in long-term environmental, economic and social consequences. Even though sustainable waste management goals continue to be included in the recent 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025), the lack of public awareness on the importance of source separation of waste and recycling prevents progress in this field. The infrastructure for waste collection and treatment is also insufficient to serve the needs. All these factors have created significant barriers for Malaysia to realise sustainable waste management.