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Malaysia steps up recycling efforts to cut landfill waste

​Malaysia is implementing a range of programmes to improve waste management efficiency and expects its recycling rate to surpass 40% by the end of this year.

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia is stepping up waste collection and recycling programmes and seeking to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills, as the country generates around 40,000 tonnes of solid waste every day.

Malaysian Minister of Housing and Local Government Nga Kor Ming said on October 5 that the country is implementing a range of programmes to improve waste management efficiency and expects its recycling rate to surpass 40% by the end of this year.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session in the Malaysian House of Representatives, he said that from January to August, the “Trash to Cash” recycling programme collected more than 7.86 million kg of recyclable materials, which were subsequently sold for over 2.85 million MYR (700,000 USD).

During the same period, the community zero-waste initiative, which currently operates 17 centres, collected more than 111,504 kg of recyclable materials.

Recycling activities have also been carried out at schools. A competition involving 1,680 schools collected 4.95 million kg of recyclable materials, generating revenue of 2.98 million MYR.

According to the minister, from 2018 through the end of last year, a total of nearly 20 million kg of recyclable materials was collected, generating more than 10.22 million MYR in revenue.

Alongside efforts to promote recycling, Malaysia is also focusing on reducing food waste, which accounts for nearly 40% of the approximately 40,000 tonnes of solid waste generated nationwide each day.Nga Kor Ming said tackling food waste requires a whole-of-society approach involving different stakeholders, particularly businesses and consumers, to raise awareness and change habits related to food use and disposal.

He noted discarding food that could still be consumed results in significant waste. Reducing food waste, increasing the collection of recyclable materials and limiting the amount of waste sent to landfills are therefore important measures in Malaysia’s efforts to improve waste management efficiency./.

VNA
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