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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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
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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