Malaysia is no exception. Waste management company Alam Flora Sdn Bhd reported that Malaysians produce about 38,000 tonnes of waste daily, most of which ends up in over 100 landfills nationwide.
Zero waste is a philosophy and lifestyle aimed at minimising waste produced by individuals, businesses, and society. Its foundation is the 5Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, repair, and rot (or compost), ensuring less waste ends up in landfills, incinerators, or oceans.
The approach focuses on preventing waste rather than managing it after it’s created, aiming for a major shift in how materials circulate within society, ultimately striving to eliminate waste altogether.
For English teacher Muhammad Asyraf Abdullah, 32, zero waste is achievable with consistent effort. For him, a simple start is bringing a reusable bag while shopping or carrying a water bottle to school. “Small efforts will eventually lead to bigger ones,” he told Bernama.
To that end, environmental advocates insist zero-waste living is realistic, especially with rising awareness of sustainability.
“Many assume the lifestyle is extreme, but it isn’t. We are simply trying to be kinder to the environment by taking steps to reduce what we throw away,” Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) co-founder Khor Sue Yee said.
“A zero-waste lifestyle is really about minimising our trash, making better choices, doing the best we can and buying less,” Khor added.
Ahmad Ismail, president of the Ecological Association of Malaysia, advocates practising the 3Rs – reduce, reuse, recycle. “Reducing waste in our daily lives may be more effective if new laws are introduced to curb plastic pollution,” he said.
Malaysia’s zero-waste movement has gained momentum thanks to community initiatives, NGOs, and government campaigns.
Local authorities and malls report incremental changes: the use of biodegradable bags, improving recycling points, reducing food waste, and recycling used cooking oil.
Some vendors offer incentives for customers who bring their own containers or bags, especially during festive seasons when waste spikes.
Recently, 17 Klang Valley shopping centres committed to reducing landfill waste by 60% through the Kuala Lumpur Zero Waste 2040 for malls, a collaboration between Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPKM).
DBKL and PPKM also signed a Letter of Action to install recycling facilities, use biodegradable packaging, and encourage eco-friendly vendor practices.
At the campaign launch on Dec 3, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Zaliha Mustafa said over 2,000 metric tonnes of solid waste was generated in Kuala Lumpur every day, with management costs reaching up to RM220 million a year – a substantial amount borne by DBKL.
“Shopping malls play a highly significant role in this ecosystem and are, without a doubt, among the major contributors to waste generation,” she said.
PPKM president Phang Sau Lian said: “Some food and beverage centres remind patrons about food wastage, and there are other agencies that collect used cooking oil, develop apps to resell excess food at discounts, and process food waste into animal feed and fertilisers.
Sustainability and zero-waste practices are also being introduced in selected schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur through the Green Wira Programme (GWP) by ZWM, launched in 2023.
GWP works with Yayasan Bursa Malaysia, Axiata Foundation, Amazon Web Services, PwC Malaysia, and is endorsed by the education ministry.
ZWM Education Programme manager Irene Chooi said 304 teachers and 1,200 student leaders from three schools – SJK(C) Pui Ying in Klang, SMK(P) Pudu in Kuala Lumpur, and SMK Bandar Damai Perdana in Cheras – have been trained under GWP. These student leaders have shared their knowledge with 9,000 students.
Projects include materials recovery facilities at SJK(C) Pui Ying and SMK(P) Pudu, and an organic food waste management system using black soldier fly larvae at SMK Bandar Damai Perdana.
“Students can adopt a zero-waste lifestyle at home when they learn from their teachers how to separate waste properly and reduce food waste by turning it into compost,” Chooi said.
SMK(P) Pudu science teacher Ong Pui Yee, who led the school’s MRF project, said every student must understand the impact of small actions in safeguarding the environment.
“By segregating the waste our students produce in school, we were able to divert 68kg of recyclable waste from landfills from August to October,” Ong said.