INGENIEUR
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Waste
Management
The formal regulation of solid waste and sewerage
in Malaysia can be traced back to 1890 with
the establishment of the Sanitary Board of
Kuala Lumpur for public health. In spite of the
long history of waste management systems in
the country, it was only in 2005 that a National
Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management was
formulated and adopted.
Since then, there have been several reforms in
the institutional structures, technology adoption
and waste minimisation efforts to match global
standards in waste management.
Solid waste management is recognised as the
key to delivering the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals under the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable
development adopted by UN members in 2015.
Malaysia may have been making progress in
this direction but we should be mindful of many
other areas that we are still lagging behind.
The paper on ‘Waste management in Malaysia-
Another Paradigm Shift?’ reminds us that 80%
of our disposal sites are still non-sanitary or
open dumpsites. There are no clear directives on
disposal of e-waste, lithium batteries, fluorescent
lamps, disposable diapers and so on.
On the construction sector, there are
there three articles covering construction and
refurbishment waste which reveals that 10-
30% of wastes originates from construction and
demolition works. It is amazing that eight million
tonnes of construction wastes are generated per
year from the construction projects. It is thus
pertinent that stakeholders in the construction
industry especially practicing engineers make
efforts to understand the “Guidelines on
Construction Waste Management” published by
CIDB.
The concept of waste management has been
influenced by new technologies and innovation
over the recent decades. The relative impact
on the environment, the social perception of
the public and the affordability of the system
are major determinants for decision makers to
plan new waste management systems. On the
innovation front, the article on ‘Innovation in
Waste -to-Energy in Palm Oil Mills’ presents an
interesting approach to the subject of waste
management. It argues that in engineering
practice, operational waste refers to the
inefficient and wasteful use of resources in the
production of goods and services.
The MCO and CMCO have disrupted the
publication of The Ingenieur causing the delay
of the production of two issues. I hope you are
keeping well and continue to stay safe.
Ir. Kamaluddin bin Haji Abdul Rashid
President, BEM
4 VOL 82 APRIL-JUNE 2020