Malaysia Accelerates Waste-to-Energy Push, Aims to Reduce Landfill Dependency to 52% by 2030

(Central News Agency reporter Huang Tzu-chiang, Kuala Lumpur, June 15) Malaysia is accelerating its push toward a circular economy by promoting food waste reduction and resource recycling, as well as actively establishing waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities. By generating electricity from waste, the country aims to reduce reliance on landfills and lower landfill dependency from 61% to 52% by 2030.

According to media reports, including the New Straits Times, Malaysia’s Solid Waste Management Corporation (SWCorp) stated that the country generates approximately 36,900 metric tons of solid waste daily, with food waste accounting for 40.03%—one of the biggest challenges in waste management.

SWCorp noted that the government is gradually shifting from traditional landfilling to a circular economy model, using technologies such as recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy to reduce the volume of waste ultimately sent to landfills.

Reports indicate that in 2025, licensed waste collectors delivered 7,125.77 metric tons of food waste to processing facilities, a significant increase from 4,536 tons in 2024. This suggests early success in repurposing food waste and source separation initiatives in commercial, industrial, and institutional facilities.

Currently, Malaysia has 141 landfills, but only 29 are modern sanitary landfills equipped with leachate treatment and biogas emission systems. As some traditional landfills approach saturation, the government is accelerating the construction of WTE facilities to alleviate landfill burdens.

The waste-to-energy plant in Jeram, Selangor, began operations on June 12, becoming the first such facility in Selangor and the second operational WTE plant in Malaysia. This new facility can process approximately 1,500 metric tons of solid waste per day, converting waste into electricity. Malaysia’s first WTE facility, located in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, began operations in September 2022.

The Malaysian government plans to build 18 WTE facilities nationwide, aiming for at least one in each state to improve waste processing efficiency and reduce reliance on landfills.

In addition to large-scale infrastructure improvements, Malaysia has been continuously promoting food waste reduction and resource recycling in recent years, encouraging the public and businesses to implement proper waste sorting.

Furthermore, Tzu Chi Malaysia has long established over 1,000 environmental stations and points across the country, promoting resource recycling and environmental education. By fostering waste sorting and reduction habits at the community level, the organization aims to raise public environmental awareness and lay the foundation for a circular economy. (Editor: Tang Sheng-yang) 1150615