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the forced shift to remote learning
july/august 2020 Issue 949/50
CHEMICAL AND PROCESS ENGINEERING NEWS AND VIEWS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE INSTITUTION OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS
e Chemical Engineer
PLUS
MALAYSIA RECYCLING / NETWORKING DURING COVID-19 / CELEBRATING FEMALE GREEN LEADERSHIP
This article first appeared in The
Chemical Engineer, which is published
monthly by the Institution of Chemical Engineers
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viewpoint recycling
JULY/AUGUST 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 30
Malaysia has much to do, say Kok Siew Ng and Eleni Iacovidou
MALAYSIA is on track to miss its 2020 targets to
divert 40% of waste from landfill and increase
recycling rates to 22%. According to the most recent
stats available, almost 90% of waste was reportedly disposed
to sanitary landfills, while only 10.5% was recycled
1
. These
targets were set out as far back as August 2005 in Malaysia’s
National Strategic Plan (NSP) for Solid Waste Management.
So what has gone wrong? And what needs to be done to
catalyse green progress? To gain some insight, we spoke to
policy-makers and waste management authorities in Malaysia
to try to get to the bottom of the problem.
According to the Ministry of Housing and Local Govern-
ment in Malaysia, around RM430m (US$100m) has been spent
on closing just 17 out of 165 existing dumpsites, and promot-
ing the disposal of solid waste to sanitary landfill. At present,
landfill seems to be the preferred solid waste management
option for Malaysia, as waste infrastructure is ill-developed.
Local authorities responsible for the management of solid
waste are outsourcing the collection and disposal of solid waste
to private companies. The National Solid Waste Management
Malaysia Versus Waste
Department (abbreviated as JPSPN in Malay) told us that
companies contracted by the local authorities to collect and
dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW) often illegally collect
commercial and industrial waste alongside MSW in order to
increase their load and trips to landfill – to claim more money
from the authorities. As a result, government has considered
increasing landfill gate fees, but the fear of incentivising illegal
dumping and fly-tipping has halted these plans.
Malaysia is reportedly generating an
immense amount of Municipal Solid waste,
around 33,000 t/d, which is equivalent
to 1.17 kg/person per day
Rapid urbanisation coupled with improvements in living
standards associated with increased consumption of goods2
exacerbate solid waste management problems faced by the
Malaysian Government. Malaysia is reportedly generat-
ing an immense amount of MSW, around 33,000 t/d, which is
S.O / Shutterstock.com
pile up: Rapid urbanisation and increased consumption of
goods exacerbate solid waste management problems
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JULY/AUGUST 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 31
equivalent to 1.17 kg/person per day3. Added to that there is
import of foreign waste – a considerable amount of which is
plastic waste. This is imported either legally (estimated around
873 kt in 20184) or illegally (based on private conversations
with authorities this is estimated to be around 500 kt in 2018).
According to Malaysian state officials, in 2018 more than
250 shipping containers of plastic waste were imported
illegally to Malaysia from many countries, including the UK.
These were allegedly claimed to have been shipped back to their
counties of origin, but the reality is that this is challenging
once the containers have passed custom controls. This situ-
ation has alarmed the government, which is expected to look
to increase public awareness, tighten the control of imported
foreign waste, close down illegal plastic recycling factories,
and promote sustainable solid waste management.
Current practice
Setting the foreign waste aside, the overall recycling rate
(for many types of waste) in Malaysia is estimated at 10.5%,
but from our discussions, this is mostly for construction and
demolition waste. For MSW specifically, the recycling rate
remains largely unknown but could be very low, as domestic
segregation of recyclables in Malaysia is not common practice.
Despite many government recycling campaigns over the past
decades, segregation rates have remained low and did not
improve existing MSW management practices5,6. (See Figure 1
for comparison of recycling rates in other countries.)
At the moment there is a lack of information on the
processes occurring, from waste generation and collection to
transportation, treatment and disposal of waste. This low level
of knowledge and lack of public awareness is a concern.
In public areas, although recycling bins are placed for example
in shopping malls, airports and hawker centres (open-air food
courts), a peek inside them often indicates the magnitude of
the problem. On top of that, waste collectors have not been
sufficiently trained and often end up mixing the waste.
End-of-life management of waste in Malaysia also needs to
change. There are still numerous illegal dumpsites, especially
in remote areas where there is a lack of enforcement. While
the government tries to clear up and close dumpsites, nearby
residents often resort to setting fire to the dumps, causing air
pollution and other health and safety hazards. This highlights
the importance of educating people, raising awareness and
promoting a better way of dealing with solid waste.
Regulation and Enforcement
The two main bodies in Malaysia which are responsible for
policies and regulations implementation and enforcement for
solid waste management are JPSPN, and the Solid Waste and
Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp). Both fall
under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (abbrevi-
ated as KPKT in Malay) and operate in accordance with the Solid
Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).
It’s worth noting that solid waste management in Malaysia
is not fully under the authority of the Federal government. In
fact, only six states (Perlis, Kedah, Pahang, Negeri Sembilan,
Melaka, Johor) and two federal territories (Kuala Lumpur and
AUSTRALIA
GERMANY
JAPA N
SOUTH KOREA
NETHERLANDS
41%
65%
19%
59%
50%
43%
35%
Source: O ECD (2015), “Municipal Was te” OECD Environme nt Statistics
Figure 1: municipal waste recycling rates for other countries
MUSLIHAT / Shutterstock.com
demo: protests against the
import of plastic waste
UK
US
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JULY/AUGUST 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 32
Putrajaya) have accepted and complied with Act 672. The
remaining seven states (Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kelantan,
Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak) and one federal territory
(Labuan) are not under the administration and enforcement
of Act 672. This unique devolved administration has resulted
in ineffective waste management throughout the country.
Although it has been envisaged that the government would be
able to bring a more uniform policy and incorporate all states
into Act 672, insufficient funding seems to be a major obstacle.
And there appears to be a loophole for illegal foreign
waste arriving in Malaysia – false declarations claiming that
imported waste is “recyclable”. Once the Approved Permits
(APs) are issued by KPKT to these importers when the
cargoes arrive at local customs, there is no going back – it is
Malaysia’s responsibility to deal with it! Other factors could
include inadequacy of control and monitoring of exported
goods from the countries of origin. The major problem arising
with the “recyclable” waste shipped to Malaysia, is that it’s
either left at the port without being collected by the importers
or sent to landfills and most likely open dumpsites, where it is
inappropriately managed.
Strategic Planning and Infrastructure
Currently, JPSPN and SWCorp have initiated work on promoting
initiatives aimed at increasing awareness of segregating waste
at source, incentivising recycling and sanitising and closing
down dumpsites. JPSPN told us that limited knowledge and
expertise among the policy makers and businesses has led to
extraneous investment on infrastructure that is not properly
operated or maintained. Incineration has often been chosen
because it is considered to be the “fastest” way of getting rid
of waste and is believed to be a technology that can address the
massive amount of waste generated. Some notable examples
of such investment include the small-scale incineration
plants (<100 t/d) which have been built in Langkawi, Cameron
Highlands, Pangkor Island and Tioman Island.
There are also some good examples of sustainable waste
management initiatives which have already begun in Malaysia.
Anaerobic d igest ion ha s been g radua lly i ntro duced i n commun ity-
scale projects, such as the food waste recycling facility at SS2
Petaling Jaya, managed by the Petaling Jaya City Council. The
facility receives approximately 500 kg/d of food waste from
the nearby hawker centre and the residents living close to the
facility, and the food waste is turned into fertilisers. Rece ntly,
Malaysia’s first large-scale incinerator with energy recovery,
also known as an energy-from-waste (EfW) plant (1,000 t/d)
was commissioned by Cypark in Negeri Sembilan. This plant
has adopted an integrated waste management concept consist-
ing of a waste-receiving-and-segregation facility, material
recovery/recycling facility, fully anaerobic bioreactor system,
sanitary landfill and leachate treatment facility, all on one site.
Nevertheless, the longevity of these initiatives in regards to
their sustainability potential should be further investigated.
What can be done?
Raising awareness on the importance of separating waste in the
home is one step towards achieving sustainable waste manage-
ment – perhaps by int roducing the subject into form al education
at all levels (primary, secondary and tertiary), and mandatory
training and qualification for collectors and operators in the
waste management sectors. Also, different approaches could
be used to effect culture change, including targeting places
such as religious settings, small gatherings etc. Reaching those
who are educated can be achieved via media, clear labelling on
purchased goods, and providing guidance on separation and
recycling at household level (via leaflets, apps and posters).
Alongside this, authorities need to improve the collection
and management of solid waste. The government is increas-
ingly considering the use of EfW, although this cannot be
practised in all states due to the large investment required.
Waste management options that promote prevention of waste
generation, and prioritise where possible, repair, reuse, recycle
Cypark
the good: Malaysia’s First
SMART EFW plant, for Cypark
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JULY/AUGUST 2020 | The Chemical Engineer | page 33
and other recovery options need to gain traction and popularity
amongst Mal aysian citizens. Th e difficulty w ith promot ing such
options is the necessity of having different schemes in differ-
ent places that meet the supply and demand for resources by
the local residents. Such a model is hard to implement and can
be time-consuming. Introducing a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT)
scheme could be a potential solution to raising awareness and
responsibility of the true costs of inappropriate management of
waste, helping authorities to improve recycling practices and
waste segregation at local level.
Regulatory and infrastructural changes need to go hand-in-
hand in supporting collection and efficient waste management
implementation, and in providing benefits to the economy
and society. Regulations should be revised and/or carefully
designed to empower the provision and operation of waste
infrastructure services to less powerful stakeholders (eg via
developing investment mechanisms and monitoring service
quality), whilst controlling regulation misuse by more powerful
stakeholders who want to promote their interests. The long-
term nature of waste infrastructure investments (more than
20-year contracts) bears the risk of creating a lock-in situation
to practices that may not provide the desired output in terms
of sustainable waste management. This may create vulnera-
bilities in the way policy changes are implemented towards
enabling sustainable development practices. Federalisation of
waste management would certainly help in streamlining policy
enforcement to be carried out throughout the country, provid-
ing that stricter regulations and monitoring of illegal exercises
are in place. Stricter enforcement is required to prevent more
waste from coming into Malaysia and to penalise those that
dispose of waste illegally.
Chemical and process engineers have
a pivotal role in developing robust and
innovative technologies and strategies to drive
Malaysia towards more sustainable waste
management practices
In addition, it is crucial to put the right infrastructure in place
based on area-specific characteristics, and having sufficient
skilled personnel to operate and maintain the infrastructure
effectively over time. Strategic planning of waste management
infrastructure is essential, and the waste hierarchy (the recom-
mended priorities of waste management where it should begin
with prevention and reuse, recycling and recovery, and lastly
disposal) must be considered when a decision is being made.
Chemical and process engineers have a pivotal role in
developing robust and innovative technologies and strategies
to drive Malaysia towards more sustainable waste manage-
ment practices, including recovering valuable resources from
waste; mitigating emissions and toxic pollutants from entering
the environment; upscaling waste processing plants to make
them more economically attractive; and improving the overall
energy efficiency of pre-treatment and recycling/recovery
processes. For example, the integrated waste management
concept requires sophisticated process integration to optimise
the overall performance of the entire site. Malaysia needs
more engineers to boost productivity, efficiency and sustain-
ability in the waste management sector, and the chemical
engineering curriculum in Malaysia needs to embed the subject
of sustainable waste management and train young engineers to
develop the technical skills required to address the solid waste
management challenges.
Only by simultaneously raising awareness, stricter enforce-
ment and monitoring, and enhancing strategic planning on
infrastructure will Malaysia achieve more sustainable waste
management.
Kok Siew Ng AMIChemE is UKRI/NERC Industrial Innovation
(Rutherford) Research Fellow at the Department of Engineering
Science, University of Oxford, UK and Principal Investigator of the
SYNERGORS project (https://bit.ly/31WcKPZ); Eleni Iacovidou is
Lecturer in Environmental Management at the Department of Life
Sciences, Brunel University London.
notes
1. SWCorp is the Solid Waste And Public Cleansing Manage-
ment Corporation under the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government in Malaysia. Figures are based on the Survey on
Solid Waste Composition, Characteristics & Existing Practice
of Solid Waste Recycling in Malaysia (2012).
2. Asian Productivity Organization (2007), Solid Waste
Management: Issues and Challenges in Asia.
3. Figures based on the Survey on Solid Waste Composition,
Characteristics & Existing Practice of Solid Waste Recycling in
Malaysia (2012).
4. Based on personal communication with the National Solid
Waste Management Department under the Ministr y of Housing
and Local Government in Malaysia.
5. Agamuthu, P (2003). Solid Waste Management in Developing
Economies – Need For A Paradigm Shift. Waste Management
& Research, 21: 487
6. Nor Eeda and Siong, (2013). The influence of Demographic
variables on Solid Waste Minimization: A case study of Shah
Alam City, Malaysia. Journal of Environment and E arth Science, 3:8
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the Natural Environment
Research Council (NE/R012938/1); Denny KS Ng (Heriot-Watt
University Malaysia) and Wan Azlina Wan Ab Karim Ghani
(Universiti Putra Malaysia); Abdul Nasir bin Abdul Aziz (JPSPN);
Mohd Pauze bin Mohamad Taha, Zulkifli bin Tamby Chik and
Mohd Zaki Harry Susanto (SWCorp); and Puan Norhaizey Binti
Hj Issia (Petaling Jaya City Council, MBPJ).
