Waste as a source of wealth

THE Waste Management Association of Malaysia (WMAM) shares the views expressed in “Take action on waste management” (The Star, Oct 4; online at https://bit.ly/3ygJiU0) that many Malaysians have not fully grasped the importance of waste management and the idea of recycling despite many years of national campaigns and enforcement efforts.In fact, WMAM has for many years pointed out the main reasons that generally explain Malaysians’ apathy towards waste reduction and littering habits. These are:

i) Lack of enforcement of the relevant laws, which are also not uniform throughout the states. In Perlis, Kedah, Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, waste management is governed by the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act, 2007 (Act 672). This Act is administered and enforced by the director-general of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing under the Housing and Local Government Ministry and the statutory body SWCorp, which was established on June 1, 2008.