Circular economy initiative significant step in solid waste management

 

From Hong Wai Onn

Housing and local government minister Nga Kor Ming’s efforts, via the National Circular Economy Council (NCEC), to introduce legislative reforms for the smooth integration of circular economy principles into nationwide solid waste management, merits praise.

While circular economy concepts are not unfamiliar in Malaysia, they have received scant attention in solid waste management due to inadequate legislative support until the recent establishment of the NCEC.

This council represents a significant step forward in the solid waste management sector, employing a nationwide approach to unify stakeholders and hasten the transition from a linear to a holistic cyclical economy.

The fundamental difference between linear and circular economic models lies in their approaches: while the former adheres to a “take-make-waste” paradigm, the latter eliminates waste entirely by prioritising strategies like reduction, reuse, recycling, and recovery, among others.

The necessity for policies and laws governing the circular economy has been the subject of extensive debate.

However, the urgency for such measures is unequivocal. According to data from the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), Malaysians dispose of approximately 40,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, equating to about 1.17kg per person. The primary components of domestic waste include food (30.6%), plastic (21.9%), and paper (15.3%).

With landfills nearing capacity, failure to act promptly poses a significant risk of exhausting space for solid waste disposal, jeopardising the country’s well-being.

Harnessing waste for energy through biogas production

So, what options do we have for managing the solid waste we generate? Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is one possibility. However, we need not solely depend on incineration-based WtE facilities, which often raise environmental and health concerns.

Alternatively, various forms of organic matter, including domestic and commercial food waste, can undergo anaerobic digestion – a series of biological processes in enclosed systems – to produce biogas.

Biogas serves various purposes, including combined heat and power operations or conversion into electricity using a combustion engine. Additionally, it can be upgraded to biomethane for use in light passenger vehicles as bio-compressed natural gas.

Notably, compressed natural gas derived from biogas reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 91% compared to petroleum gasoline, as per a waste-to-wheels assessment conducted by the US department of energy.

The residual organic material, known as digestate, is nutrient-rich and serves as an excellent alternative to energy-intensive mineral fertilisers. Utilising digestate mitigates greenhouse gas emissions throughout its production cycle. According to the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association, substituting one tonne of mineral fertiliser with digestate can save approximately seven tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Transforming plastic recycling to diverge from fossil resource dependency

While plastic usage is widespread, most plastic waste ends up in landfills or incinerators, taking centuries to decompose. Embracing plastic reuse not only reduces environmental strain but also aids in lowering industrial carbon emissions.

Although plastic recycling is in its infancy in Malaysia, many countries have already made significant strides in this arena. The emerging bio recycling process, utilising specific enzymes for depolymerising polyethylene terephthalate (PET) at low temperatures, presents a promising alternative to traditional thermomechanical recycling methods.

In the bio recycling process, resulting monomers are purified and repolymerised into PET of equivalent quality to virgin PET, drastically reducing carbon dioxide emissions by over 50% compared to virgin PET production. The technology facilitates the recycling of various PET materials, including clear, opaque, complex or of textile origin (polyesters), to generate new materials.

Anticipating transformative change in solid waste management

The concept of a circular economy may have once seemed like a distant dream. However, advancements in technology have provided us with proven solutions to tackle solid waste issues.

In addition to policy and legislative considerations, the effective implementation of strategies and action plans, along with commitment and collaboration between the government and private sectors, are equally vital.

Furthermore, offering incentives and exploring funding options to encourage the participation of companies in the private sector will play a crucial role in driving the transition towards a circular economy for solid waste management in Malaysia.

I eagerly anticipate witnessing this transformative shift take place. - FMT

Hong Wai Onn is a chartered engineer and chartered environmentalist.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.