A Review on Managing Solid Waste Produced from Homes in Malaysia
W. C. Tang
Centre of Advanced Mechanical and Green Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia.
Umar Nirmal *
Centre of Advanced Mechanical and Green Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia.
Saijod T. W. Lau
Centre of Advanced Mechanical and Green Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia.
Sharmeeni Murugan
Centre of Advanced Mechanical and Green Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Jalan Ayer Keroh Lama, 75450 Melaka, Malaysia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
There has been a sharp rise in the rate of waste generated on a global scale, owing to a rapid growth in population and urbanization. Enormous amounts of waste are being produced yearly. To illustrate the gravity of this situation, in 2018, there was a gargantuan estimate of 85 tons of waste disposed in Malaysia. Most of this disposed waste is not properly recycled, thus making waste a prevailing global threat against mankind and the environment. Waste originates from several different sources such as residences, industries, agriculture and manufacturing plants. In this work, the writers seek to dedicate a compilation of developments in research for managing solid waste produced from homes in Malaysia. Further, the generation of solid waste from households, their characteristics and impacts are also reviewed herein. In addition, the flow of waste from the time it is produced in homes until its disposal in Malaysia will also be examined and presented. The concept of ‘3R’ is implemented to manage the waste generated. This paper attempts to examine and solve the shortcomings in past works and to pave the way for future research on the solutions to control the pollution cause by the waste produced from homes.
Keywords: Solid waste, waste management, 3R’s, Malaysia, future research