According to the Housing and Local Government Ministry’s National Solid Waste Department , waste management is a significant problem in Malaysia as output outpaces the country’s recycling rate.
NSWD said Malaysia has 165 landfills, eight sanitary landfills and three inert landfills for materials such as sand and concrete. However, a Malaysian company has found a solution to the national waste management problem through its invention of “Asher”, a machine that converts solid waste into non-toxic ash that can be used as fertiliser and for construction purposes.
“This makes it ideal to be installed in shopping malls, hotels, airports, hospitals, office towers, government buildings, factories, and commercial centres so waste can be treated at the source. “Waste segregation and recycling programmes have repeatedly failed due to inadequate infrastructure, poor enforcement, and very little public interest and awareness.”
“Imagine, if every government and commercial building treated their waste at source, it will drastically simplify waste management and help the country break free from the wasteful practice of merely hiding our discards in landfills.”