27 May 2015
Effective September 1, Malaysian households in the states that have adopted the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) are set to see a whole new dimension in how they will be disposing of their household waste.
The new approach in solid waste management will be implemented in stages in states and territories that have adopted the Act, namely Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah.
All this while, households and business premises have been discarding recyclables and non-recyclables together, but come September 1 that will no longer be the case.
Instead, recyclable and non-recyclable waste will have to be separated at the point of origin if the waste is to be collected by solid waste management concessionaires.
And no one living in the states that has agreed to implement the Act will be exempted from the duty of separating recyclable solid waste from non recyclable waste.
Though the Act is seen as an effort to be more environmental friendly, are the people ready for this?
The separation of waste, which is the foundation of the recycling process, has gone through extensive awareness campaigns since it was launched in 1996 and again in 2000.
Yet Malaysians remain in the dark over the new approach with only 10.5% of Malaysians practising recycling of waste.
"What is waste separation? I know nothing about the Act being implemented in September".
"Is it true that action will be taken on home and business owners if they don't separate the waste? It feels like a burden".
"Why there has not been any news on this new regulation? I have no qualms about following the new rule as recycling is already practised in my household".
These are among the responses received by Bernama recently when members of the public were asked on their preparedness to recycle in line with the implementation of the Act.
A random survey on housewives, business owners and passers-by generally indicated that the majority are unaware of the new ruling.
Some of the respondents were stunned, some were shocked and some questioned why there has been little information on the implementation of Act 672.
The owner of a tailoring outlet, KBM Collections, Zulkifli Ismail, 59, said there should be an aggressive publicity blitz through various channels on the new waste collection method, like how it was done for the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
More needs to be done to create greater awareness on the matter as there are only three months before separating waste is made mandatory.
Surprisingly, though Malaysians are aware of recycling, the level of recycling done in the country is still low when compared with the developed nations, such as Japan and Germany.
A study carried out by the Solid Waste And Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) found that public awareness on recycling was relatively high.
"The study conducted in 2009 revealed that 89% of the 55,000 respondents stated that they were aware of 3R practices. Unfortunately, they have not made it a culture," said SWCorp chief executive officer Datuk Ab Rahim Md Noor.
SWCorp is responsible for ensuring an efficient and integrated solid waste management service, as well as providing satisfaction to their consumers.
So where did things go wrong?
Associate Professor Dr Latifah Abd Manaf said various factors restricted the culturalisation of waste separation to the point that it is found unappealing to the society.
This includes recycling facilities in non-strategic areas, said the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Environmental Studies lecturer.
"The recycling bins are usually located in shopping malls and venues not near to housing areas. It is rare to see such bins in housing areas," she said.
This may prove to be a hassle for many, but she also said that the lack of awareness on the implementation of the Act could also be due to people's indifference towards cleanliness.
Meanwhile, Ab Rahim said having a third-world mentality also contributed to the problem.
As the head of SWCorp, he is set work with his employees to tackle the poor attitude that most Malaysians have regarding cleanliness.
"SWCorp has taken efforts to ensure cleanliness, however, the efforts have yet to yield results because the public mindset has not changed," Ab Rahim said.
Though reality is a bitter pill to swallow, it is hard to escape the fact that the community is still bound to a culture that does not care about environmental conservation.
Their mentality is that cleaning the filth is the sole responsibility of the authorities, though they should realise that as the biggest contributors of waste, the public should play a role in green initiatives.
Not only is the level of recycling low, but some show no shame in littering and polluting public areas.
"They think that it is all right because someone is paid to clean up the mess," said 61-year-old Fatimah Kolop who has worked 20 years as a cleaner.
She agreed that there were still many Malaysians who could not care less about cleanliness.
"There are times when I just finished sweeping, only to find trash piled up at the stairs shortly after. They only want their homes clean but they don't care about the area around them and this exposes them to diseases," she added.
Leptospirosis and dengue are among diseases that thrived in dirty environments, which prove the lack of concern for hygiene and cleanliness among Malaysians.
Maybe it is time for enforcement to be carried out to teach the people to be more responsible in managing the waste they produce.
This is why Act 672 is seen as one of the best methods to discipline the society and instil in them civic consciousness and a first-world mentality.
For this purpose, SWCorp will not only focus on action but will also approach the community through other methods.
This includes organising the Jelajah Mata Hati programme, 3R Marathon and Carnival, as well as interviews on television, radio and newspapers to reach out to the public.
Ab Rahim added that they would also embark on more aggressive publicity efforts.
The Mind Transformation Plan Towards a Clean and Beautiful Nation 2015-2020 was recently launched in view of how serious the cleanliness problem had become.
Six objectives and 24 strategies were outlined in the comprehensive plan to shape the people into making cleanliness a part of their culture.
This includes introducing the C4E strategy which stands for communicate, educate, engage, enforce and empower.
Notices will be issued to those who fail to separate their waste in the first three months after the Act is implemented, but action will be taken if they still refuse to do so as required under Act 672. – Bernama, May 27, 2015.
