Current Status of Municipal Solid Waste Generation in Malaysia

Recent investigations in 2010 resulted information that population of Kuala Lumpur City Area has reached 1.66 million people (JPM, 2009). With the population growth rate of 6.1 percent, then the population in the year 2010 can be estimated at least to 1.69 million people. The number of municipal solid waste generated from Kuala Lumpur State Territory and delivered to TBTS was recorded of 2,000 tonnes per day. Accordingly, the solid waste generation average for any person is 1.2 kilograms a day. From the survey found that almost total respondents, has already knew about the zero waste program and other government's waste management program. But this has to be mentioned if there was about 14% of the total respondents that have already recycled on their solid waste. Several of them have no convinced reason about why did they want to do a recycle thing. Though recycling activity in Malaysia is rising up, the recycling industry still needs to be enhanced. The price of solid waste (plastic) collected from plastic used market at several places on Kuala Lumpur City area is about RM 0.45 per kilogram, due to data taken on May 2010. If the population in 2009 is about 1.66 millions, then the plastic value per day will be RM 179,280. The potential gross value calculation for one year period can be reached  about RM 43,027,200. This potential value should be an additional income if the Government can build and develop an integrated plastic recycling market. At present, Taman Beringin Transfer Station has been taking care of the average of solid waste at 2,100 tonnes per day. The capacity of this waste generation has been increasing in numbers, from 1,700 tonnes, since initial operation in 2002. In estimation, TBTS budget is around of RM 30,000,000 in the period of one year only for the purposes of simple operational cost. Government Board of Kuala Lumpur City should reconsider a better solution for funding that operating cost.