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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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ZAINURA ZAINON NOOR:
trash, rubbish,

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or municipal solid
waste-- does not

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make any difference
what we call it.

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The fact remains that same.

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We produce huge
amounts of it, and it

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takes an enormous amount of
every community's resources

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to deal with it.

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Cities are at the nexus
of a deeper threat

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to the environment,
namely the production

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of increasing quantity
and complexity of waste.

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In general, urban
residents generate

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two to three times
more solid waste

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than their fellow
rural citizens.

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Globally, the daily waste
generation in urban areas

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is about 760,000
tons and is expected

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to sharply increase to
1.8 million tons per day

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by the year 2025.

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Municipal solid
waste especially,

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generated in the cities, is
the most complex solid waste

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stream, as opposed
to more homogeneous

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waste streams resulting from
industrial or agricultural

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activities.

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The list of the top
10 countries that

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generate the largest amount
of municipal solid waste

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includes four developing
nations-- namely,

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Brazil, China,
India, and Mexico.

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This is mainly due to
the size of their growing

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urban population.

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Furthermore, their city dwellers
are prospering and adopting

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high-consumption lifestyles.

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Urbanization and
income levels also

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tend to determine the
type of waste generated.

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The share of inorganic
materials in the waste stream,

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such as plastics,
paper, and aluminum,

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also tends to increase
as people grow wealthier

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and move to the cities.

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Cities' authorities which are
responsible for urban waste

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management are struggling
with the accelerated

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pace of waste production
in their jurisdiction.

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More than 50% of
the collected waste

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is often disposed through
unsanitary land-filling,

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and about 15% is processed
through unsafe and informal

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recycling.

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Improper solid waste
disposal in cities

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impairs human health and
causes economy, environmental,

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and biological losses.

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In [INAUDIBLE] or
unsanitary landfills,

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leachate, which is the fluid
emerges from the waste,

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can seep into the ground and
may contaminate both the soil

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and the groundwater, posing
substantial health hazards

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to any nearby communities.

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The common three R's are
reduce, reuse, and recycling.

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In order to be sustainable
in the long run,

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solid waste
management must start

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with reducing consumption,
followed by reuse and lastly,

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recycle.

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Reducing consumption
will require

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a dramatic cultural shift
and behavior change,

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which may take a long time.

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Therefore, in addition to
presenting awareness campaigns

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on the importance of consuming
less and re-using more,

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cities should also adopt
strong recycling programs.

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Recycling is a process
of turning materials

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that would otherwise
become waste

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into valuable resources of
financial, environmental, and

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social returns.

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With emphasis on urban
and peri-urban areas,

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recycling is viewed
as a sustainable means

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of diverting maximum fractions
of municipal solid waste

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from landfill disposal,
since the waste generated

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in this area contains
substantially

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less organic portion
compared to rural areas.

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The benefits of recycling
go far beyond just

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saving landfill space.

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It provides a source of
valuable raw materials.

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Multiple markets exist for
papers, plastic, glass, metals,

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and other materials.

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Although collecting and
selling these materials

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will not make a profit
for the community,

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it may reduce the community's
waste management cost

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by creating a revenue
stream from waste.

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Recycling undoubtedly
saves resources.

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One ton of recycled
newspaper saved

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the equivalent of 17
trees, two barrels of oil,

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and 41,000 kilowatt
hours of energy.

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One ton of recycled
plastic saved

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5,774 kilowatt hours of energy
and 16.3 barrels of oil.

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And one ton of
recycled aluminum saved

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14,000 kilowatt hours of
energy and 40 barrels of oil.

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Apart from conserving
resources and creating revenues

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from waste stream,
recycling also

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provides new jobs and economy
development potential.

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A well-managed recycling
program provides employment

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for people who have difficulty
finding work in other places.

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In Malaysia, 64% of the
overall waste composition

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is dominated by
municipal solid waste.

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Out of this, 80%
are recyclables.

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Plastics are probably the most
common recyclable material

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with high potential for
recycling in Malaysia,

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since this material
is widely used

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and part of a modern
lifestyle in urbanized areas.

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Growth rates in Malaysia
plastic industries

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reached an average of 15%
for the past 11 years,

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indicating a high demand for
this material in the country.

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Recycling should be
greatly emphasized,

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especially at the most
basic level of community,

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which is the household unit.

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Households are the
highest contributor

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among the municipal solid
waste sources in Malaysia.

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Although households in Malaysia,
as well as around the world,

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will need to significantly
reduce the consumption

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rate, and subsequently
their waste generation,

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in the short-term
context, proper recycling

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can lead to a substantial
reduction in terms

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of waste sent to landfill.

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Malaysia aims to be a
developing country by year 2020,

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and among other measures has
set a target of achieving

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a recycling rate of 22%.

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However, its recycling
rate was 5% in 2002

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and only increased slightly
to 5.5% in 2006 and 2008.

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Compared to neighboring
countries in Southeast Asia,

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this is far too low.

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Singapore, for example, has
a recycling rate of 56%,

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and the Philippines is at 12%.

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So what are some of
the underlying reasons

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for this shortfall?

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In Malaysia,
municipal solid waste

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is managed by the National Solid
Waste Management Department

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under the Ministry of
Urban Well-Being, Housing,

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and Local Government.

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Recently, the ministry
formulated the Solid Waste

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and Public Cleansing
Management Act, SWPCM 2007,

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which includes the promotion
of waste minimization

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through the three
R's activities.

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[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

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Although the enactment of
SWPCM Act 2007 has provided

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legislative empowerment to
the Malaysian government,

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it cannot be fully enforced
and implemented due to the lack

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of other supporting regulation.

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In several major cities in
which the two-plus-one system

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of collection has started,
implementation is not smooth.

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Majority of households are not
fully aware of the collection

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schedule.

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Furthermore, separate bin for
recyclable is not provided.

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Due to these reasons,
many households

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are quite reluctant to
actively participate

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in the recycling program.

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Despite the
mandatory [INAUDIBLE]

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of household waste
under the act,

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the implementation
has been weak.

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Fines are yet to be imposed
on households that do not

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separate their waste at source.

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Another major challenge in
promoting recycling activities

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in Malaysia is related to
the lack of public support.

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Despite numerous
public awareness

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and campaigns
throughout the years,

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public responses to
recycling activities

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are still at a very low stage.

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I think definitely it's
to do with awareness.

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We have done a lot of work--
I'm sure the government has

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done the same thing for local.

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But I think awareness
is critical,

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mainly because we are a society
that is so used to-- just let

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somebody else deal with it.

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We do a lot of complaining.

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IE, when we see rubbish on
the ground in the [INAUDIBLE]

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business like that, we complain.

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Why isn't the authority
doing something about it,

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that kind of thing.

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But we never think that it
is our responsibility that we

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should be doing ourselves.

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So it is a point where
being aware of it

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and taking responsibility
and going in there

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and digging it up and putting
it in a rubbish bin [INAUDIBLE].

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So awareness is
critical to doing that.

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Although most
households understand

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the need for
sustainable development,

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this level of awareness does
not always translate to actions.

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In many cases, the
households that do recycle

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are motivated by
financial gain rather

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than feeling a sense
of responsibility

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in reducing their waste in order
to conserve their resources

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and environment.

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Several approaches
can be implemented

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towards achieving the
desired goals of recycling

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community in Malaysia's cities.

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Current scenario has
suggested that there

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are policies and
facilities in place,

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but they are not
comprehensive enough

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to contribute to an
effective recycling program.

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Providing separate
bins for recyclables

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and ensuring households are
aware of the two [INAUDIBLE]

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schedule may prove to be among
the best, yet simple, approach

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to encourage people to
participate actively

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in the recycling activities.

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Moreover, proper collection
points, systematic collection,

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and processing of recyclable
need to be established.

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For this to happen, all
relevant stakeholders-- namely,

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the federal and
municipal governments,

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concessionaires, traders,
recycling center operators,

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and NGOs-- must
coordinate their efforts.

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Strong enforcement
of SWPCM Act 2007

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is another critical factor.

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Strategies such as
imposing fees on households

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that are not segregating their
waste should be considered.

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Households may find this
approach to be taxing at first,

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but they will be
encouraged to recycle.

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At the same time, the
role of financial reward

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among households should
not be overlooked.

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Rewards such as
rebates and incentives

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should be utilized to encourage
recycling until the habit can

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be sustained.

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However, despite having
financial and regulatory tools

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as the principal instrument
for driving change in behavior,

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the effectiveness
of the tools is

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strongly dependent
on reflecting--

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reshaping attitudes,
motivations,

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and norms within a community.

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There is still a long
way towards achieving

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the 22% recycling rate
by 2020 in Malaysia,

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and it remains
unclear whether or not

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the ambitious goal can be met.

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However, if the proposed
strategies addressing

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the barriers can be
carried out effectively,

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there is a high possibility
for successful implementation

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of sustainable solid waste
management in the country.

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