DISCARDING OUR FUTURE: MALAYSIA’S WASTE AND POLLUTION CRISIS
Malaysia has developed rapidly since the Second World War, transforming from a primarily agrarian country that relied on primary industries, to one with thriving secondary and tertiary industries, with an overarching ambition of becoming a high income nation. As industrialisation, urbanisation, and consumerism expanded, Malaysia has overlooked the development of one important sector – waste management. The challenges posed by waste management in Malaysia are varied and complex. This paper presents a broad overview of the different categories of waste (household waste versus industrial, commercial, and institutional wastes); an examination of the legal framework and actors governing waste management in Malaysia as well as the inherent loopholes, weaknesses and challenges; and lessons learnt from selected case studies of waste mismanagement and pollution.
WONG PUI YI
Basel Action Network
Wong Pui Yi serves as Basel Action Network’s waste trade researcher and campaign advocate based in Malaysia focused primarily on plastics and electronic waste. Her interests lie in comparative politics, human rights, and environmental governance and she holds a Master of Economics degree from Universiti Malaya, Malaysia. She previously worked with the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism in Malaysia as well as Break Free From Plastic Asia-Pacific, investigating the harm caused by the global plastic waste trade. When not documenting foreign waste in illegal dumpsites and factories, she’s exploring Malaysia’s tropical rainforests, caves, rivers, and seas.