STATUS OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE SEGREGATION IN

MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR KUCHING

SOUTH CITY, SARAWAK, MALAYSIA

Tunmise Ayode Otitoju

Master of Science

(Environmental Management)

2015

Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

STATUS OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE SEGREGATION IN MUNICIPAL SOLID

WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR KUCHING SOUTH CITY, SARAWAK,

MALAYSIA

TUNMISE AYODE OTITOJU

13020167

A thesis submitted

In fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science

(Environmental Management)

Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

2015

i

DEDICATION

Every challenging work needs self efforts as well as guidance of elders especially those who

were very close to my heart.

My humble effort I dedicate to my sweet and loving Father and Mother, whose affection,

love, encouragement and prayers made me attain this great achievement, along with my

hardworking and respected Supervisors.

ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I offer my sincere gratitude to the greatest of all potters, who designed us

in His image by setting the plastic clay rolling, so we can wonderfully be like Him. I

appreciate Him for His mercies and protection over me, and for His grace and opportunity

bestowed upon me for the successful completion of my thesis, and most importantly for

granting me perfect health throughout the duration of my studies at Universiti Malaysia

Sarawak.

Acknowledgments are also owed to a large number of individuals. Special thanks are due to

the following:

Prof Dr. Lau Seng (my main supervisor) for his unwavering support and invaluable advice.

He has supported me during this course of study with patience, encouragement, constructive

criticism, knowledge and deep intellectual insight. Prof Dr. Gabriel Tonga Noweg (my co-

supervisor) for his advice and assistance.

Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Prof Dr. Andrew Alek Tuen, the entire staff and friends at the

Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation (IBEC).

For the field work, I wish to extend my profound appreciation to the Kuching South City

residents, particularly the respondents of my questionnaires. For the Key-informant survey, I

would like to appreciate Mr. Kho Joo Huat and Mr. Fairuz Mohd Rambli from Kuching South

City Council and Ms. Tang Hung Huong from Natural Resource and Environmental Board

(NREB) for their warm acceptance, support and also took valuable time off from work to

iii

meet me and be interviewed progressively.

Sincere gratitude also goes to my research assistants (Angela Rabai and Lo Lee Ching) for

their support during the questionnaire administration and also to Adi Shabrani for his patience

and transportation aid during the course of the interview section with Natural Resource and

Environmental Board and Kuching South City delegates.

It is also with great joy to mention at this point, a part of my everyday progress, my parents

and my siblings: Ayodeji, Babawale, Temitope, Ibukun, Taiwo. Completing this study would

not have been possible without their love, prayers, endurance and support.

I would also like to appreciate Prof Dr. G.T. Olutunla, Dr. J.M.O. Ekundayo, Mr. & Mrs.

Dairo, Shaun Welman, Rotimi Shonubi, Pang Sing Tyan, Jia Qi Luei, Mowumi Dairo, David

Dairo, Busayo Dairo, Oluwaseunfunmi Ojufun, Toba Ojo and all my friends for their

encouragements throughout my study.

Lastly, appreciations are also due to those who have not been mentioned but had one way or

another contributed directly or indirectly to this study.

iv

ABSTRACT

Household attitudes in the community appear to be critical as their points of understanding in

waste segregation eventually plays a significant role in providing answers to municipal solid

waste management problems in Kuching South City. Despite the abundance of opportunities

available for household waste segregation, its full potentials are yet to be exploited in

Kuching South City. The objectives of this study were to determine the level of awareness and

acceptance, constraints and household requirements for participation among residents of

Kuching South City. It also aims to examine the existing practice in Kuching South City and

hence make recommendations for effective waste segregation practice.

This study gathered data from two main sources namely secondary and primary sources. The

secondary data was sourced from various related and relevant articles, books and journals.

The two main techniques employed in gathering primary data were household questionnaire

sampled among 228 households and face to face interview conducted with delegates from

Kuching South City Council and Natural Resource and Environmental Board, Sarawak.

Descriptive statistics, correlation test, independent t-test and analysis of variance were used to

answer the research questions and hypotheses.

The finding shows a high rate of awareness among the respondents with major information

sourced from schools whereas the municipal leaflet receives the lowest response rate. In terms

of commitment and participation, there was a low participation rate among household towards

waste separation. Inadequate facilities emerged as the highest constraints among all other

constraints mentioned by the respondents such as awareness, knowledge, interest, time, no

collectors and inconveniences. The result also revealed the provision of recycling bins as the

v

highest requirement for participation among all other requirements such as provision of more

campaigns, more workshops and exhibitions, regular collections, make available incentives

and enforcement of legislations in waste segregation activities. Correlation tests revealed that

age and gender are not significant towards waste segregation practice in Kuching South City.

The independent t-test test revealed a significant difference on waste segregators and non-

waste segregators view for the legislation setup and an insignificant difference on their views

for the provision of infrastructural facilities and incentives. The analysis of variance revealed

an insignificant difference in households’ level of participation in waste segregation based on

their socioeconomic status.

The provision of recycling bins is the surest means towards encouraging households in waste

segregation practice. Also, the formulation of policies and programs to encourage households’

participation should be directed towards increasing their level of environmental and waste

segregation awareness, sensitising their environmental consciousness and promoting the

necessary enabling facilities. Education, promotion, publicity, workshops and exhibitions on

regular basis, will produce better performance with time.

Keywords: Attitude, Critical, Household, Involvement, Waste Segregation.

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ABSTRAK

Sikap masyarakat adalah sangat kritikal kerana pemahaman mereka terhadap pengasingan

sampah memainkan peranan penting dalam menyelesaikan masalah dalam pengurusan sisa

pepejal perbandaran di Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan. Walaupun terdapat banyak

peluang dalam pengasingan sampah yang boleh disertai isi rumah, potensi utamanya masih

belum dikenalpasti secara menyeluruh dalam kawasan Bandaraya Kuching Selatan. Objektif

kajian ini adalah untuk mengenalpasti tahap kesedaran dan penerimaan, kekangan, dan

keperluan penglibatan isi rumah di kalangan penduduk Bandaraya Kuching Selatan. Kajian

ini turut mengkaji amalan sedia ada di Bandaraya Kuching Selatan., dan seterusnya

mencadangkan amalan pengasingan sisa yang lebih berkesan

Dua sumberdata bagi kajian ini adalah terdiri daripadaprimer dan sekunder. Sumber

sekunder berpunca daripada artikel, buku, dan jurnal yang berkaitan. Teknik utama yang

digunakan untuk mengumpul data primer adalah dengan menjalankan soal selidik daripada

228 isi rumah dan secara temuramah bersemuka bersama pihak perwakilan dari Majlis

Bandaraya Kuching Selatan dan Lembaga Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar Sarawak. Statistik

deskriptif, ujian korelasi dan ujian-t bebas dan analisis varians telah digunakan bagi

menganalisakan data yang diperolehi.

Kajian menunjukkan kadar kesedaran yang tinggi di kalangan responden dan maklumat

diperolehi dari sekolah manakala risalah perbandaran menerima kadar tindak balas yang

paling rendah. Dari segi komitmen dan penyertaan, terdapat kadar penyertaan yang rendah

di kalangan isi rumah terhadap pengasingan sisa. Kemudahan yang tidak mencukupi muncul

sebagai kekangan tertinggi di kalangan semua kekangan lain yang disebut oleh responden

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seperti kesedaran, pengetahuan, minat, masa, tiada pengumpul dan kesulitan. Hasilnya juga

mendedahkan penyediaan tong kitar semula sebagai keperluan yang paling tinggi untuk

penyertaan di kalangan semua keperluan lain seperti penyediaan lebih banyak kempen, lebih

banyak bengkel dan pameran, koleksi tetap, membuat insentif yang ada dan penguatkuasaan

undang-undang dalam aktiviti pengasingan sisa. Hasil korelasi menunjukkan umur dan

jantina adalah tidak signifikan terhadap amalan pengasingan sisa di Bandaraya Kuching

Selatan. Hasil dari ujian-t bebas membuktikan perbezaan signifikan berkenaan pandangan

mereka terhadap perundangan manakala pandangan terhadap peruntukan kemudahan

infrastruktur dan insentif adalah tidak signifikan. Analisis varians menunjukkan perbezaan

yang tidak ketara di peringkat isi rumah penyertaan dalam pengasingan sisa, berdasarkan

status sosio-ekonomi mereka.

Penyediaan tong kitar semula adalah cara yang paling pasti untuk menggalakkan isi rumah

dalam amalan pengasingan sisa. Juga, penggubalan dasar dan program untuk menggalakkan

penyertaan isi rumah perlu ditumpukan ke arah meningkatkan tahap kesedaran mengenai

alam sekitar dan pengasingan sisa, kepekaan terhadap alam sekitar dan menggalakkan

kemudahan yang diperlukan. Pendidikan, promosi, publisiti, bengkel dan pameran secara

teratur, akan menghasilkan prestasi yang baik mengikut masa.

Kata kunci: Sikap, Kritikal, Isi Rumah, Penglibatan, Pengasingan Sisa.

viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication i

Acknowledgements ii

Abstract iv

Abstrak vi

Table of content viii

List of Tables xiii

List of Figures xiv

Appendices xv

List of Abbreviations xvi

Publication xviii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Problem statement 4

1.3 Research questions 6

1.4 Research objectives 6

1.5 Research hypotheses 7

1.6 Scope of the study 8

1.7 Limitations of the study 8

1.8 Structure of the thesis 9

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction 10

ix

2.2 Solid wastes 10

2.3 Municipal solid waste (MSW) 11

2.4 Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) 12

2.4.1 Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia 14

2.4.2 Current Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia 17

2.4.3 Municipal solid waste management in Malaysia options 20

2.4.3.1 Reduce or Reuse 21

2.4.3.2 Recycling 22

2.4.3.3 Composting 25

2.4.3.4 Incineration 26

2.4.3.5 Landfilling or Disposal 27

2.4.4 Municipal solid waste management issues and the institutional

context in Malaysia 28

2.4.5 Institutional framework of Municipal solid waste management

in Malaysia 30

2.4.6 Municipal solid waste management policies and programs 32

2.4.7 Solid waste and public cleansing management Act 2007 33

2.5 Municipal solid waste segregation 34

2.5.1 Demographic and Attitudinal influences on waste segregation 35

2.5.1.1 Demographic influences 35

2.5.1.2 Perception and constraints 36

2.5.1.3 Motivating factors 40

2.5.2 Community participation 41

2.5.3 Government policies, public mistrust of authority and institutional

x

framework 44

2.5.4 Current waste recycling and segregation behavior in Malaysia 47

2.6 Summary 49

CHAPTER 3: WASTE SEGREGATION EXPERIENCE IN KUCHING

SOUTH CITY

3.1 Existing waste segregation practice 51

3.1.1 Buy back recycling centre 52

3.1.2 Takakura Home Composting Program 54

3.1.3 Recycling centers 55

3.1.4 School recycling program 55

3.2 Summary 56

CHAPTER 4: STUDY METHODOLOGY

4.1 Introduction 57

4.2 Study area 57

4.3 Research design 58

4.4 Study population 58

4.5 Instrument and procedure 59

4.5.1 Questionnaire 59

4.5.2 Face-to-face interview 62

4.6 Sample frame and sample size determination 63

4.7 Sampling techniques 64

4.8 Data processing and analysis 66

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4.9 Pilot test 67

4.10 Summary 69

CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

5.1 Introduction 70

5.2 Demographic profile of respondents 70

5.3 Waste separation awareness and acceptance 72

5.4 Waste segregation habits among respondents 75

5.5 Households’ constraints toward waste segregation in Kuching South City 77

5.6 Households’ requirements for participation in waste segregation in MBKS 82

5.7 Demographic influence towards waste segregation in Kuching South City 88

5.8 Relationship between waste segregators and non-waste segregators on

their requirements for participation 89

5.9 Significant difference on household participation based on socioeconomic

status in waste segregation 90

5.10 Summary 91

CHAPTER 5: RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION

6.1 Introduction 93

6.2 Recommendations 93

6.2.1 Stakeholders’ management 95

6.2.2 Management instruments 101

6.2.3 Institutional framework 104

6.3 Areas for further research 107

xii

6.4 Conclusions 108

REFERENCES 109

xiii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1: Waste composition in Malaysia from 1975 to 2005 16

Table 2.2: Malaysia solid waste management targets toward Vision 2020 17

Table 2.3: Waste treatment methods practice in Malaysia 19

Table 2.4: Economic potentials estimate of some recyclables in Malaysia 24

Table 4.1: Outline of data collection methods and objectives 63

Table 4.2: Stratification of selected areas of study 65

Table 4.3: Cronbach’s alpha 68

Table 4.4: Reliability test 69

Table 5.1: Demographic profile of respondents 71

Table 5.2: Awareness response rate 73

Table 5.3: Response cases for waste segregation awareness 73

Table 5.4: Waste segregation participation among respondents 76

Table 5.5: Response cases for waste segregation practice 77

Table 5.6: Response cases for household constraints towards involvement 78

Table 5.7: Response cases for household requirements for participation 82

Table 5.8: Requirements for waste segregation practice according to response

cases 84

Table 5.9: Demographic influence on waste segregation 89

Table 5.10: Differences between waste segregators and non-waste segregators

on their requirements for participation 89

Table 5.11: Test of Homogeneity of Variance 90

Table 5.12: ANOVA test 90

xiv

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 3.1: MSW collected in Kuching South City 53

Figure 3.2: Amount of recyclable items collected by Kuching South City Council 53

Figure 3.3: Number of participants at MBKS Takakura Home Composting

Workshop from 2011 to 2013 54

Figure 4.1: Flow of activities for data collection 58

Figure 5.1: Sources of waste segregation information according to response cases 74

Figure 5.2: Method of waste segregation practice according to response cases 77

Figure 5.3: Household constraints toward waste segregation according to

response cases 79

Figure 6.1: Proposed framework for household waste segregation for

Household waste segregation 94

Figure 6.2: Recommended stakeholders for Household waste segregation 96

xv

APPENDICES

Appendix A: Household questionnaire 128

Appendix B: Interview schedule 133

Appendix C: Transcript 136

Appendix D: List of NGOs and Private vendors in Kuching South City 140

Appendix E: Map 141

Appendix F: MBKS Point System 142

Appendix G: Point System for MBKS recycling Buy Back Centre 143

Appendix H: MBKS Programs 145

xvi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

3‘R’s: Refuse, Reuse and Recycle

ABC: Action Plan for Beautiful and Clean

CBO: Community Based Organization

DEFRA: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

EPU: Economic Planning Unit

GHG: Green House Gases

GTZ: Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit

HW: Household Waste

HWS: Household Waste Segregation

LA: Local Authority

MBKS: Majlis Bandaraya Kuching Selatan

MHLG: Ministry Of Housing and Local Government

MSW: Municipal Solid Waste

MSWM: Municipal Solid Waste Management

NGO: Non-Governmental Organization

NREB: Natural Resource and Environmental Board

NSP: National Strategic Plan

NSWMD: National Solid Waste Management Department

PAYT: Pay As You Throw

PEPAS: Promotion of Environmental Planning and Applied Studies

PMR: Penilaian Menengah Rendah (Lower Secondary Assessment for form three

students in Malaysia).

SANDEC: Sanitation in Developing Countries

xvii

SPM: Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (National Examination taken by all fifth-year

secondary school students in Malaysia).

STPM: Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (Pre-University Examination taken by

students in Malaysia)

SW: Solid Waste

SWM: Solid Waste Management

SWMP: Solid Waste Management Plan

SWPCM: Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act

UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme

UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNIMAS: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

USEPA: United States Environmental Protection Agency

USPS: United States Postal Service

WM: Waste management

xviii

PUBLICATION

Otitoju, T.A. & Seng, L. (2014). Municipal Solid Waste Management: Household Waste

Segregation in Kuching South City, Sarawak, Malaysia. American Journal of

Engineering Research, 3 (6): 82-91. e-ISSN: 2320-0847 p-ISSN: 2320-0936.

1

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

What a person decides to purchase (an item), finds appropriate to wear (cloth), deems safe to

eat (food), and discards into the trash bin are largely determined by culture (Gregson et al.,

2010). Individuals and societies have demonstrated wide differences in these choices

throughout time, but share the tendency to ignore materials and place them out of sight once

they are considered waste (Douglas, 1966; Lynch, 1990). As income levels rise across the

globe, consumption levels are escalating in most countries. This is leading to a proliferation of

waste disposed of in landfills, incinerators and open dumps (Uiterkamp et al., 2011). Human

activities create waste, and the ways that those wastes are handled, stored, collected, and

disposed of can pose risks to the environment and public health.

The increase in generation of municipal solid waste is inevitable, however, it was not

important in former times but became an issue as soon as people started to settle in

communities. Ever since, municipal solid waste management (MSWM) has been of great

concern to municipal authorities worldwide. In the middle ages, badly managed waste was

responsible for millions of deaths in Europe. In the 18th century, inappropriate waste

management was the cause of the outbreak of diseases like the plague and cholera which

claimed more than 380,000 lives in Hamburg (Bilitewski et al., 1994). Above all odds, the

management of municipal solid wastes in an effective manner has been scientifically

approved and needed for sustainable urbanization and development. If the population and

resources are not accompanied by the development of innovative approaches to enhance

community participation and government support for environmental management, it may lead

2

to deterioration of environmental quality and social conflicts (GTZ, 1988). Furthermore, the

lack of effective and efficient municipal solid waste management can have a negative impact

on the environment which may extend wider than just the geographical boundary of the

community itself (Foo, 1997).

From an environmental standpoint, source prevention and recycling are preferred over

treatment and disposal (Bringer, 1992). According to Figueroa (1998), segregation at the

household level is one of the measures for reducing the amounts of discarded materials at the

source as sorted waste makes it easier for items to be subsequently reused, recycled or

compost either for the same or a different purpose. Thus, segregation of waste is essential to

improve wastes processing performance. It is important to note that increasing segregation on

its own does not provide the complete solution. The other “downstream” components of the

municipal solid waste management system (reliable collection of recyclables, recycling

capacities) must also be in place and functional so that long-term incentives for the waste

generators can be assured.

The feasibility of household‟s habit towards waste segregation will depend significantly on

their awareness and understanding of the benefit of segregation for their immediate

environment. Segregation practices should be given greater emphasis by means of publicity

and awareness campaigns with housing associations and non-governmental organisations.

Furthermore, the level of commitment to any ongoing waste segregation behavior in a certain

community will certainly be increased if people are involved, their views and felt needs are

emphasised. A felt need is a necessary prerequisite for a community based segregation

systems. If municipal solid waste management is not a „felt need‟, this will have

3

consequences for their participation in the service. An individual‟s behavior change tends to

occur when the individual is aware of the problem or need that gives the individual an initial

reason or incentive to follow a particular course of action.

In view of the aforementioned, this study explores the awareness, limitations and motivations

of households on waste segregation in Kuching South City. Drawing upon these themes, this

study would also suggest ways that the concluding strategies could be used by local

authorities, government agencies and other organisations seeking to increase the diversion of

waste from disposal and reduce the amount of the material considered wastes.

4

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

An interview with representative from Natural Resource and Environmental Board (NREB)

revealed that landfill still remains the most common waste treatment method in Kuching,

whereby more than 70 percent of the generated household wastes are disposed using this

method. This problem of disposal to landfill is usually compounded by trends in consumption,

production patterns, continuing urbanisation of the world and most importantly the attitude

and involvement of communities towards municipal solid waste management (MSWM).

Incineration, another common waste treatment method, has been criticised as unsuitable, due

to air pollution problems and high construction and operational costs (Sandhu and Tilman,

1998). As Malaysia falls within the tropical rainforest region with high humidity, the

municipal solid waste has very high moisture content. Burning such waste in an incinerator

will consume much more energy than waste from drier region.

In view of this, recycling and composting are much more an effective alternative to landfill

and incineration. Recycling and composting helps to direct and divert materials from the

waste system so that they may be re-used and turned into another material. The benefits of

recycling are in many forms, such as reduction of environmental damage, energy saving,

resources conservation, saves collection costs, disposal costs (Foo, 1997), and can lead to

gainful employment (Gupta and Kaseva, 1996).

Waste segregation, another method for managing municipal solid waste, to enhance recycling

and minimising waste (Chung and Poon, 1999). However, unless the wastes are separated into

well-defined materials, the environmental potential of recycling strategies cannot be fully

realised (Krook et al., 2007; Rejinders, 2000). Although, waste segregation at source has been