KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is studying the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework requiring manufacturers and producers to share responsibility for managing packaging and product waste, said Local Govt and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Arifin Mohd Arif.
He said the move could reduce unnecessary packaging and ease the financial burden currently absorbed by households, local authorities and taxpayers in managing solid waste.
Speaking in a keynote address at a seminar titled "Trash Talk to Action: Understanding Sabah's Changing Waste Management Landscape" on Monday (Sept 21), Arifin said Sabah would need its own laws to determine responsible agencies, financing mechanisms, recovery targets, reporting requirements and enforcement measures.
Waste management can no longer be viewed just as a matter of collecting and disposing of rubbish, as it was necessary for a comprehensive system to involve waste reduction, separation, collection, recovery, treatment and safe disposal, he said at the seminar.
The seminar was organised by the Sabah Institute for Development Studies (IDS) with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Malaysia and attended by 70 people.
"Talk must lead to action, and people must be able to see the results in cleaner towns, healthier communities and a better protected environment," he said in his speech read by his Assistant Minister Datuk Maijol Mahap.
Arifin said Sabah's waste-management challenges went beyond major urban centres and require solutions tailored to the diverse needs of smaller towns, rural areas, interior districts and island communities.
A system designed for a large urban area may be too costly or impractical for remote districts, he said, explaining that island communities faced unique challenges as they have to transport waste by sea.
"One size solution does not fit all," he added. "We should aim for equally reliable services, but we do not need exactly the same system everywhere."
Arifin said that the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Enactment, passed in 2022, has yet to come into force as his ministry was preparing subsidiary legislation, licensing arrangements, enforcement mechanisms and operational procedures.
"Once implemented, the enactment will provide Sabah with a state-level framework covering governance, licensing, waste-management facilities, charges and fees, enforcement, and waste reduction, reuse and recycling initiatives," he said.
Arifin said that the transfer of responsibility for scheduled waste management from the federal Department of Environment to Sabah's Environment Protection Department is scheduled to be completed by November, provided necessary constitutional, legal and administrative processes were completed.
He said it will allow Sabah to manage scheduled waste according to its own needs with adequate legislation, technical expertise, trained personnel, licensed facilities, reliable tracking systems and effective enforcement.
On waste-treatment options, Arifin cautioned against pursuing technology-driven solutions without sufficient data.
"It must be first determined how much waste is generated, its composition, collection frequency and service costs before considering technologies such as composting, anaerobic digestion, waste-to-energy plants or other thermal-treatment systems," he said.
"If we cannot operate and maintain a technology for its full working life, it is not a solution," he added. "It will become another problem."
