COVER FEATURE
INGENIEUR
RECYCLING & ENERGY
RECOVERY
By Chin Siew Yin
W
hen the Malaysian Government
conducted a study on National Waste
Minimization in Malaysia in 2006, an
ambitious target of recycling rate of 22% was set
by 2020. The exercise started with an awareness
programme which claimed a good success rate
although in practice, it was another matter.
The incorporation of mandatory source
separation of waste in the Solid Waste and
Public Cleansing Act, Act 672 in 2007 was one
way to increase the recycling rate under the 3R
programme. The United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) and ISWA (Institute of Solid
Waste Association) are of the view that we have
to ensure recycling and energy recovery are
compatible in order to close the material cycle.
The related contents of the publication under
the “Global Waste Management Outlook” is a
good guide for the stakeholders involved in the
waste management industry.
CLOSE THE MATERIAL CYCLE
A key part of the circular economy is to build
‘feedback loops’. Recycling is part of natural
processes, and re-establishing this circularity
is a key component of overall sustainable
development. There are limits to recycling, at which
point energy recovery needs to be considered.
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24
VOL
– DECEMBER 2015
VOL64
55OCTOBER
JUNE 2013