Being the most industrialised and populated state in Malaysia, with a population of more than 7 million, Selangor plays a vital role in fulfilling the nation’s sustainability goals. For KDEBWM, its role as the organisation entrusted with waste collection and public cleansing efforts in Selangor means that it is key to ensuring the cleanliness and liveability of the state. Mahfuzah Muhammad Tarmidi, Assistant General Manager of Corporate Communications, reveals more to International Business Review.
According to Mahfuzah, KDEBWM is demonstrating its commitment to sustainability and the goals of the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) by adopting the United Nations Development Programme’s Sustainable Development Goals (UNDP SDGs).
The two SDGs that KDEBWM is particularly focused on are SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. “This is because they are most closely related to our core business, and emphasise the importance of sustainable waste management practices that promote cleanliness, environmental health, and socio-economic development – which are in line with our vision and mission,” she says.
For instance, SDG 11’s focus is on ensuring that cities, and settlements as a whole, are “inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. This is part and parcel of creating and maintaining liveable communities, and KDEBWM plays its role in Selangor by ensuring proper and timely waste collection and public cleansing.
“This way, we play a part in reducing pollution, improving public health, and enhancing the overall quality of life for Selangor’s residents”
Mahfuzah, KDEB Waste Management
At the same time, the aim of SDG 12, which is to “promote sustainable consumption and production patterns”, also aligns with KDEBWM’s goals of encouraging practices such as minimising waste generation, maximising resource efficiency, and transitioning towards a circular economy model.
Bringing in the Community
Elaborating further on KDEBWM’s contributions to realising the SDGs, Mahfuzah highlights how the company works with other organisations to achieve its aims. “KDEBWM collaborates with other stakeholders such as government agencies on various programmes to promote recycling and the circular economy, as well as green infrastructure development,” she reveals.
In addition, the company also actively engages with local communities by conducting educational programmes, workshops and outreach activities that raise awareness on sustainable waste management practices.
Of particular note is the work that KDEBWM has done with schools in Selangor. “It is important to instil the culture of cleanliness and recycling at a young age. So, we run a lot of awareness programmes with students at the primary and secondary school level, as well as for those in universities in Selangor,” Mahfuzah explains.
Going beyond the schools and awareness programmes, KDEBWM also engages in gotong royong (communal cleaning) programmes, which not only help keep Selangor clean but also strengthen the sense of ownership that people have in their communities.
It is therefore obvious that the community is an important focus area for KDEBWM – not only does the company keep Selangor clean, it also helps the people ensure that it is so. For instance, from 2021 to April 2024, KDEBWM has donated 1,560 large public trash bins at the cost of more than RM1.176 million, thus ensuring that there are sufficient bins for people to put their rubbish.
This is part and parcel of KDEBWM’s CSR initiatives, which is an important component in ESG, and has seen the company commit more than RM3.747 million to various CSR, and sustainability activities since 2021. These include providing relief to underserved communities during the COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia as well as helping to clean severely flood-affected areas in Selangor during the floods of 2021/2022.
Supporting the Net Zero Carbon Agenda
KDEB Waste Management is committed to contribute to the net zero carbon agenda and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction through the strategic implementation of garbage compactors. By optimizing waste collection and disposal processes, thereby minimizing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and landfilling. The efficient collection and transportation of garbage by KDEBWM and lowers fuel consumption will be able to reduce GHG emissions from vehicle emissions and also be able to mitigate methane generation in landfills.
Through this, not only can the team back at KDEBWM’s head office ensure that the trucks are making their stops as scheduled, but that they are also doing so in the most efficient way possible. As such, the trucks are able to cover the maximum distance while consuming minimal fuel, thus ensuring that households in Selangor have their waste collected without unnecessary vehicle emissions.
Aside from reducing fuel usage of their vehicular assets through optimising their routes, KDEBWM is also looking to invest in more fuel-efficient vehicles as well as alternative fuel options. “Currently, we are studying the feasibility of replacing our diesel compactor trucks with EV compactor trucks, which will cut down on our fuel consumption, carbon emissions and environmental footprint,” Mahfuzah reveals.
In addition, KDEBWM is also fostering and promoting a culture of waste reduction and resource conservation. Encouraging communities to responsibly practice waste separation and recycling, leading to less waste sent to landfills and fewer emissions generated from waste decomposition. Additionally, compactors facilitate the segregation of recyclable materials, enabling KDEBWM to divert valuable resources from landfill disposal and further reduce carbon emissions associated with resource extraction. Through the strategic deployment of garbage compactors, KDEBWM not only advances the net zero carbon agenda but also spearheads a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable and environmentally conscious approach of smart waste management.
Another area that KDEBWM is looking into is converting waste to energy, which will not only help reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also reduce the use of landfills in Selangor as well as provide people with an alternative source of electricity. This also goes some way into fulfilling the aims of SDG 15, which seeks to combat the loss of biodiversity, land degradation and deforestation.
The Pivot of Sustainability
At the end of the day, KDEBWM can be described as the pivot of Selangor’s sustainability drive, given that it plays a key role in not only ensuring that it fulfils its own SDG objectives but in helping others realise theirs.
As Mahfuzah reveals, “Other government agencies and third parties in Selangor work with KDEBWM as they need us to achieve their SDG KPIs, especially when it comes to the environmental section.”
In addition to lending their expertise in sustainable waste management to other Selangor state agencies, KDEBWM also helps build up the capacity and capabilities of other waste management companies in the country and beyond.
This includes giving guidance to sub-contractors on proper practices to ensure that they adhere to sustainability guidelines, sharing knowledge and experience with waste management providers of other states as an example , and even providing insights on optimal waste collection and waste-to-energy plant to a delegation from Vietnam.
Ultimately, for Mahfuzah, “Cleanliness must become a culture in Malaysia.” And this is the value that KDEB Waste Management is setting out to inculcate. By creating a culture of cleanliness and sustainable waste management practices in Selangor, it is setting the path for the rest of Malaysia to follow.
