KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia is stepping up efforts to transform solid waste management and move away from a linear “use and dispose” model towards a circular economy focused on waste reduction, ñmñreuse, recycling and resource recovery.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the shift was necessary as Malaysia generates about tonnes of solid waste every day, with nearly 40 per cent comprising food waste.
He said reducing waste generation and strengthening the circular economy could no longer be delayed if Malaysia was to ensure sustainable national development.
Nga said this during the oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said the Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) had launched the Circular Economy Blueprint for Solid Waste in Malaysia 2025-2035, which sets a target of increasing the rate of waste diverted from landfills from 42 per cent in 2025 to 48 per cent by 2030 and 53 per cent by 2035.
“The national recycling rate has increased from 31.52 per cent in 2021 to 37.9 per cent in 2024. However, there is still much more that needs to be done to achieve real success,” he said.
Nga said KPKT had introduced several measures to accelerate the transition, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the National Recycling Campaign and the campaign against single-use plastics.
The ministry has also introduced an initiative requiring shopping centres nationwide to provide Recycling Facilities (FPS) in phases as a condition for the approval and renewal of business premises licences by local authorities.
As of August 2026, a total of 6,256 Recycling Facilities had been provided in states subject to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672).
Nga said the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) was also actively promoting waste separation at source among households, as well as the commercial and industrial sectors.
He said public education programmes, including Trash to Cash, Zero Waste Community (KOSIS), Zero Waste Office (PESIS) and the School Recycling Competition (PERKISS), were also being used to encourage Malaysians to adopt circular economy practices.
According to Nga, recycling initiatives were already showing results, with the government confident of exceeding a 40 per cent national recycling rate by the end of this year.
Under the Trash to Cash programme, more than 7.86 million kg of recyclable materials were collected between January and August, generating sales of over RM2.85 million, he said.
Meanwhile, 17 active zero-waste community centres established during the same period collected more than 111,504 kg of recyclable materials, while a school-based recycling competition involving 1,680 schools collected 4.95 million kg, generating RM2.98 million in proceeds.
Nga said the National Circular Economy Council (NCEC), led by KPKT, was coordinating efforts involving ministries, local authorities and industry players to ensure Federal Government policies were implemented comprehensively and in a coordinated manner.
“I urge all Malaysians to work together in adopting a recycling culture so that we can move towards a circular economy in line with the country’s environmental sustainability goals,” he said. – October 5, 2026