Current practice of solid waste management in Malaysia and its disposal

Malaysia is a country that has recorded a phenomenal economic development success story. One of the most important problems is solid waste due to inadequate management practices. This resulted in an increase in the amount of waste generated. The national average in at 0.5-0.8 kg/person/day, but in the cities the figures have escalated to 1.7 kg/person/day. This paper addresses the current practice of solid waste management and its disposal in Malaysia. Currently, the waste management approach being employed is landfill, but due to rapid development and lack of space for new landfills, Malaysian states are switching to incineration. The conclusion of this paper is that the earlier practice of solid waste management in Malaysia is not clearly documented and this conclusion can be confirmed by the word of Malaysia Prime Minister once he said that the Ministry of Housing and Local government must study any policy or legislation which could help enhance the practice. On the other hand, it appears that the current policy and system are more resulting from reacting to the problem of increasing waste, in particular in urban areas, and less from taking a practical stand in respect of tackling the problem at its root. Setting clear guidelines about the objectives of waste management and adopting certain principles would allow for such a practical stand. Above all, there should he a target on what to achieve before any program is set up.