Background of Research

Malaysia has a population of approximately 32.6 million in 2016 with a per capita GDP
of USD27,776 in 2016. Urban population in Malaysia constitutes more than 65% of the total
population. Solid waste generation has increased more than 91% over for the last 10 years due to
the rapid development of urban areas, rural-urban migration, increase per capita income and
change on consumption patterns that brought about by development. Almost 28,500 tonnes
(95%) in 2012 of municipal solid waste have disposed directly into landfills daily in Malaysia.
The national average per capita waste generation is 0.9kg. Waste composition in Malaysia is
dominated by organic waste, that comprises more than 40% of the waste stream. World Bank
(2015) report that Kuala Lumpur per capita for solid waste generation is about 2.35 kg as which
is the highest in Malaysia.

However, environmental awareness is low in Malaysia. The current household waste

recycling initiative, the National Recycling Programme, undertaken by the Ministry of Housing
and Local Government, contributes to a greater awareness of the need to preserve resources, but
the public response is disappointing, and more extensive public education and awareness is
required. Overall institutional and organizational arrangements for Solid Waste Management at
the federal, state, and local authority levels have generally been weak and lack the resources for
effective planning and management of waste. Such shortcomings are also evident in the day-to-
day management of solid waste by states and local authorities: data on solid waste are often for
lacking.

Service areas for solid waste collection are generally confined to urban and township
areas with only limited collection in adjoining rural areas. Despite rural to urban migration, by
2020, 28% of the population is still expected to be living in rural areas. Areas outside local
authorities do not receive any collection, but are subject to the Guidelines issued by the Ministry
of Health under the Rural Environmental Sanitation Programme. Currently, 66% of rural
households are self-reliant and undertake their own waste disposal by burial in proximity to their
dwellings or in communal bins serviced periodically by contractor. Consequently, unofficial
dumping and development of many small dumpsites is widespread.

In the principle of solid waste management, recycling also constitutes the most favored
ways of solid waste disposal due its benefit as basic resources for industries. Hwa (2007) views
that “The rate of recycling in Asian developing countries is far from satisfactory. The low
recycling rate can be attributed to poor strategic planning and to the implementation and the
enforcement of the policies”
Therefore, effective policies with strict regulation on the recycling program along with
other factors as practiced in many countries, for instance Singapore, have successfully increased
the recycling habit among the people. The recycling rate in Malaysia in 2018 was 12.4%. This
rate is far from satisfactory as compared to the recycling rate in Singapore in 2018 which was
63.1% as showed in Compendium of Solid Waste among ASEAN countries at the year of 2018.
As mentioned previously, the legislation on recycling plays an important role in ensuring the
successful implementation of recycling. Therefore, Malaysia’s lower recycling rate compared to
Singapore suggests that Singapore has a comprehensive and an efficient management of solid
waste specifically household solid waste recycling.
This study presents an evaluation on the legal approach in Malaysia and Singapore in
respect of household solid waste recycling. The researcher also aims to see the strengths of
Singapore legal act of solid waste management that could be learned by Malaysia in order to
enhance the household solid waste recycling management in Malaysia.

Research Questions
1. How is Malaysia implement the sustainable household solid management?
2. What is the limitation of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act
672) in Malaysia before and during Movement Control Order (MCO)?

Research Objectives
1. To identify overlapping of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act
672) with other statues in Malaysia regarding on management of household waste
recycling
2. To compare household solid waste management by law between Malaysia and Singapore
before and during MCO.
3. To suggest any suitable ways to increase the rate of recycling household waste recycling
during Movement Control Order (MCO)