“Building more is neither sustainable nor cost-effective,” said Jamie Loh, the director of waste management project GZW Return, at the Asean Sustainable Urbanisation Forum at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
Speaking at the same forum, Pang Swee Lei, the executive director of waste management company Pamarai Sdn Bhd, said while landfills are “conveniently out of sight and out of mind”, they are an unethical option to keep cost low as they are increasingly inefficient and environmentally costly.
“Leachate contamination, methane emissions and irreversible land degradation are no longer acceptable (consequences) especially as urban expansion, urbanisation, infrastructure development and population density continue to rise,” he said.
According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Malaysia produced an estimated 38,437 metric tonnes of solid waste per day in 2021, with 82.5% of it being disposed of in landfills.
Pang called for Malaysia to lead the region by shifting towards a treat-at-source model, where waste is reduced on-site instead of being channelled into landfills.
He also promoted his company’s product, “The Asher”, a “closed-loop waste elimination system”, which he and Loh said could convert general waste into inert ash within hours without any burning and would occupy the space of a pickleball court.
According to the product’s website, this is achieved through a continuous application of high temperatures involving moisture evaporation, oxidation and carbonisation to break down solid waste.
KLCC sustainability manager Zulkifly Shariff, who was also a panellist, said KLCC aimed to put sustainability front and centre.
He said KLCC had sent no food waste to landfills since 2023 after it started composting food waste, adding that its 2024 environmental, social and governance report stated that it had treated 73% of its waste at source.
Zulkifly said KLCC aimed to increase that number to 100% this year, adding that 556kg of waste originating from the forum had thus far been diverted away from landfills.
He said this waste would be collected and sent to Asher facilities.