e-ISSN 2231-8542
ISSN 1511-3701
Josfirin Uding Rangga, Sharifah Norkhadijah Syed Ismail, Irniza Rasdi and Karmegam Karuppiah
Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 30, Issue 2, April 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.47836/pjst.30.2.34
Keywords: Economy, profit, recycling, segregation, waste
Published on: 1 April 2022
This study aimed to estimate the potential waste management cost reduction and the recycling profit from the segregation programme implemented in Malaysia. The assessment was done among the states that implemented a waste segregation programme in Malaysia, a Southeast Asia country with a GDP of 364.7 billion USD. The solid waste (tonnes) data were collected from the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation, Malaysia, and analysed using mathematical models. On average, 2.69 million tonnes per year (t/yr) of waste were disposed of in the landfills, and 1,680 t/yr of waste was segregated, equivalent to 0.06%. Plastic (30.49%–39.48%) and paper (31.35%–40.88%) were the major components of segregated waste. Implementing the waste segregation program avoids the cost of waste disposal in landfills, potentially at 61,000 USD/yr and generating 130,000 USD/yr recycling profits. Therefore, the government should strengthen the programme to increase the segregation rate and provide a significant income to the community.
Act 672. (2007). Laws of Malaysia: Solid waste and public cleansing management act 2007. Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Berhad.
Adam, A. (2021, March 11). SWCorp data shows trashpile averaged slightly over 200, 000 tonnes a month since MCO 1.0, mostly from food and plastics. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/03/11/swcorp-data-shows-trashpile-averaged-slightly-over-200000-tonnes-a-month-si/1956803
Agamuthu, P., Chenayah, S., Hamid, F., & Victor, D. (2011, May 2-6). Sustainable waste management in Malaysia: A focus on 3R related policies. In International Conference on Solid Waste 2011- Moving Towards Sustainable Resource Management (pp. 192-194). Hong Kong.
Ali, A. B., Alavi, N., Goudarzi, G., Teymouri, P., Kambiz, A., & Mohammad, R. (2015). Household recycling knowledge, attitudes and practices towards solid waste management. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 102, 94–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.06.014
Azilah, M. A., Foziah, J., & Ho, C. (2015). The effects of socio-economic influences on households recycling behaviour in Iskandar Malaysia. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 202, 124-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.08.215
Bohm, R. A., Folz, D. H., Kinnaman, T. C., & Podolsky, M. J. (2010). The costs of municipal waste and recycling programs. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54(11), 864-871. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2010.01.005
Chifari, R., Piano, S. L., Matsumoto, S., & Tasaki, T. (2017). Does recyclable separation reduce the cost of municipal waste management in Japan? Waste Management, 60, 32-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2017.01.015
Di Maria, F., & Micale, C. (2013). Impact of source segregation intensity of solid waste on fuel consumption and collection costs. Waste Management, 33(11), 2170-2176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2013.06.023
DOSM. (2017). GDP by state, 2010-2016. Department of Statistics Malaysia.
DOSM. (2021). Current population estimates, Malaysia, 2021. Department of Statistics Malaysia.
E-Idaman. (2019). Harga terkini barang kitar semula [The price of recycable materials]. E-Idaman Sdn Bhd.
EPA. (2020). Recycling economic information (REI) report. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fauziah, S. H., & Agamuthu, P. (2010, September 23-25). Landfills in Malaysia: Past, present and future. In International Conference on Final Sinks (pp. 1-9). Vienna Austria.
Ghani, L. A. (2021). Exploring the municipal solid waste management via MFA-SAA approach in Terengganu, Malaysia. Environmental and Sustainability Indicators, 12, Article 100144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indic.2021.100144
Greco, G., Allegrini, M., Del Lungo, C., Savellini, P. G., & Gabellini, L. (2015). Drivers of solid waste collection costs. Empirical evidence from Italy. Journal of Cleaner Production, 106, 364-371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.07.011
Ham, G. Y., & Lee, D. H. (2017). Consideration of high-efficient waste-to-energy with district energy for sustainable solid waste management in Korea. In The 15th International Symposium on District Heating and Cooling (Vol. 116, pp. 518-526). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2017.05.099
Han, J., Ijuin, H., Kinoshita, Y., Yamada, T., Yamada, S., & Inoue, M. (2021). Sustainability assessment of reuse and recycling management options for end-of-life computers-Korean and Japanese case study analysis. Recycling, 6(3), Article 55. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling6030055
Hoang, G. M., Phu, S. T. P., Fujiwara, T., & Van Pham, D. (2020). Waste-to-landfill reduction: Assessment of cost-effective solutions using an optimisation model. Chemical Engineering Transactions, 78(February), 511-516. https://doi.org/10.3303/CET2078086
Hoornweg, D., & Perinaz, B. T. (2012). What a waste: A global review of solid waste management (Paper No. 15). The World Bank.
Imran, A., Shreeshivadasan, C., Norhayati, A., & Danish, A. M. (2019). Sanitary landfill is a solution in solid waste management or a silent threat to environment: Malaysian scenario article history. Open International Journal of Informatics (OIJI), 7(December), 135-146.
Irina, S. Z., Zainura, Z. N., & Rafiu, O. Y. (2014). The profiles of household solid waste recyclers and non-recyclers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Habitat International, 42, 83-89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2013.10.010
Jain, A. (2017). Waste management in ASEAN countries. United Nations Environment Programme.
Jamil, S. (2018, September 14). Selangor ranked 1st in solid waste production. Selangor Journal. https://selangorjournal.my/2018/09/selangor-ranked-1st-in-solid-waste-production/
Jaron, A., & Kossmann, C. (2018). Waste management in Germany 2018: Facts, data diagrams. Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservative and Nuclear Safety (BMU).
Jereme, I. A., Siwar, C., & Alam, M. M. (2015). Waste recycling in Malaysia: Transition from developing to developed country. Indian Journal of Education and Information Management, 4(1), 1-14.
Jereme, I. A., Siwar, C., Begum, R. A., Basri, A. T., & Mahmudul, A. M. (2015). Assessing problems and prospects of solid waste management in Malaysia. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 10(2), 70-87.
Johnson, K. M., González, M. L., Dueñas, L., Gamero, M., Relyea, G., Luque, L. E., & Caniza, M. A. (2013). Improving waste segregation while reducing costs in a tertiary-care hospital in a lower - middle-income country in Central America. Waste Management & Research, 31(7), 733-738. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X13484192
JPBD. (2019). Draft of Johor structure plan 2030. Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa
JPSPN. (2013). Survey on solid waste composition , characteristics & existing practice of solid waste recycling in Malaysia. National Solid Waste Management Department.
JPSPN. (2021). Bilangan tapak pelupusan mengikut negeri [Number of landfills by state]. National Solid Waste Management Department.
Kaza, S., Yao, L., Bhada-Tata, P., & Van Woerden, F. (2018). What a waste 2.0: A global snapshot of solid waste management to 2050. World Bank.
KPKT. (2015). Solid waste management lab 2015. Ministry of Housing and Local Government.
Lee, U., Han, J., & Wang, M. (2017). Evaluation of landfill gas emissions from municipal solid waste landfills for the life-cycle analysis of waste-to-energy pathways. Journal of Cleaner Production, 166, 335-342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.08.016
Liyana. (2021, February 18). Isu sisa plastik dunia tidak menguntungkan Malaysia, sekadar tingkatkan risiko [Malaysia is not benefited by the global plastic waste problem; Rather, it increases the risk]. Amanz Media.
Low, S. T., Tee, S. Y., & Choong, W. W. (2016). Preferred attributes of waste separation behaviour: An empirical study. In International Conference on Sustainable Design, Engineering and Construction (Vol. 145, pp. 738-745). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2016.04.094
Malik, N. K. A., Abdullah, S. H., & Manaf, L. A. (2015). Community participation on solid waste segregation through recycling programmes in Putrajaya. In Procedia Environmental Sciences (Vol. 30, pp. 10-14). Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2015.10.002
Masebinu, S. O., Akinlabi, E. T., Muzenda, E., Aboyade, A. O., Mbohwa, C., Manyuchi, M., & Naidoo, P. (2017, October 17-19). A review on factors affecting municipal solid waste generation. In 2nd International Engineering Conference (pp. 2013-2018). Minna, Nigeria.
McDougall, F., White, P., Franke, M., & Hindle, P. (2001). Integrated solid waste management: A life cycle inventory (2nd Ed.). Blackwell Science Ltd.
Menikpura, S. N. M., Gheewala, S. H., Bonnet, S., & Chiemchaisri, C. (2013). Evaluation of the effect of recycling on sustainability of municipal solid waste management in Thailand. Waste and Biomass Valorization, 4(2), 237-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-012-9119-5
Milios, L., Davani, A. E., & Yu, Y. (2018). Sustainability impact assessment of increased plastic recycling and future pathways of plastic waste management in Sweden. Recycling, 3(3), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/recycling3030033
MESTECC. (2018). Malaysia’s roadmap towards zero single-use plastics 2018-2030: Towards a sustainable future. Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change.
Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. (2019). Key environmental statistics 2020. Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment.
Muzamir, M. Y. (2020, January 2). Pembuangan sampah negara [Disposal of the national waste]. Berita Harian Online. https://www.bharian.com.my/berita/nasional/2020/01/643354/pembuangan-sampah-negara-meningkat-10075-peratus
Nahman, A., & Godfrey, L. (2010). Economic instruments for solid waste management in South Africa: Opportunities and constraints. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 54(8), 521-531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2009.10.009
New Jersey Waste Wise. (2015). The economic benefits of recycling and waste reduction - WasteWise case studies from the private and public sectors. New Jersey WasteWise Business Network.
Nazym, T., Dimash, Y., Galina, P., Angela, M., & Zhansaya, S. (2020). Green economy: Waste management and recycling methods. In E3S Web of Conferences (Vol. 01012, pp. 1-9). EDP Sciences. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202015901012
Ong, J. (2021, August 17). Study underway for Singapore’s first plastic bottle recycling plant, which could recycle 150 million bottles a year. Today Online. https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/study-underway-singapore-first-plastic-bottle-recycling-plant-which-could-recycle-150-million
Otitoju, T. A., & Lau, S. (2014). Municipal solid waste management: Household waste segregation in Kuching South City, Sarawak, Malaysia. American Journal of Engineering Research (AJER), 03(06), 82-91.
Parker, T. (2019, March 18). World recycling day: Here’s the five best recycling countries in the world. NS Business. https://www.ns-businesshub.com/transport/best-recycling-countries/
Periathamby, A. (2014). MSW management in Malaysia: Changes for sustainability. In A. Pariatamby & M. Tanaka (Eds.), Municipal Solid Waste Management in Asia and the Pacific Islands (pp. 195-232). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4451-73-4_11
Pickin, J., Randell, P., Trinh, J., & Grant, B. (2018). National waste report 2018. Blue Environment Pty Ltd.
Rangga, J. U., Sharifah, N. S. I., Karuppiah, K., & Irniza, R. (2018). Municipal solid waste potential as malaysian bioenergy resource, reduce GHG emission and generate economic benefits. Asia Pacific Environmental and Occupational Health Journa, 4(3), 66-80.
Razali, F., Wai, C. W., Daud, D. Z., & Choong, C. H. (2017). Acceptance of waste separation at source practice among households: A literature review. International Journal of Real Estate Studies, 11(2), 131-139.
Song, Q., Wang, Z., & Li, J. (2013). Environmental performance of municipal solid waste strategies based on LCA method: A case study of Macau. Journal of Cleaner Production, 57, 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.04.042
SWCorp. (2018). Laporan tahunan 2018 [Annual Report 2018]. Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation.
SWCorp. (2019). Program 3R [The 3Rs programme]. Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation.
The Star. (2020, August 2). SWCorp targets 40 % recycling rate by 2025, current rate at 30%. The Star. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/08/02/swcorp-targets-40-recycling-rate-by-2025-current-rate-at-30
Tiseo, I. (2021). Municipal solid waste recycling rates worldwide in 2019, by select country. Statista.
Trading Economics. (2021). Malaysia GDP. Trading Economics.
Utusan Online. (2017, March 23). 13.5 juta tan sampah setiap tahun [13.5 million tons of garbage annually]. Utusan Online. https://upm.edu.my/akhbar/135_juta_tan_sampah_setiap_tahun-126
Yiing, C. M., & Latifah, A. M. (2017). Solid waste management transformation and future challenges of source separation and recycling practice in Malaysia. Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 116, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.09.012
Zaipul, A. Z., & Ahmad, R. S. (2017). Policies, challenges and strategies for municipal waste management in Malaysia. Journal of Science, Technology and Innovation Policy, 3(1), 18-22.
ISSN 1511-3701
e-ISSN 2231-8542