Concepts in waste management: A preliminary study

This paper aims to discuss and highlight the basic concepts in waste management studies. Effective MSW management consists of a mix of policy instruments to achieve the policy objectives. Understanding the factors that have effects on public pro-environmental attitudes and behavior is important for helping decision makers to strengthen the existing policy frameworks for the future. Ensuring successful implementation of recycling and waste separation at source requires high participation from the household. Thus, this paper will discuss the relevant concepts in waste management studies that are relevant to assess the waste separation behavior from the socio-psychological model perspective. Understanding the factors that influence public waste separation behavior is useful to strengthen the existing policy framework

Linking the Malaysia’s solid waste management policy instruments with household recycling behavior

The environmental problems faced by the world population today is the result of human daily activities. One of the contributing sources to the environmental problems is the growth of solid waste. Solid waste generation increases as a result of economic progress, urbanization, population growth and consumer-based lifestyles. The urban areas of Asia is expected to spend at least US$50 billion per year in 2025 on solid waste management. Malaysia, experiencing rapid economic prosperity, is also faced with challenges in solid waste management. This paper will highlight the present state of waste generation trends, its management, the waste management policies and strategies with specific focus on recycling for the household sector. Recycling has been highlighted for decades as a plausible option for sustainable waste management but still faced with various challenges. This paper will provide a brief classification of the policy instruments adopted in achieving the policy objectives. This provide the basis for future research to analyse the households’ perspective on the effectiveness of implemented policy instruments. It is crucial for policymakers to understand the behavioral aspect of the policy instruments in planning future comprehensive strategies