An Insight into Domestic Solid Waste Recycling Facilities and Urban Households' Behaviour in Shah Alam, Malaysia

• Published in: IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
• Main Author: Abdullah Y.A.; Rauf N.R.A.A.; Yakob H.; Othman R.N.R.; Marzukhi M.A.; Leh O.L.H.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Physics 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85130289107&doi=10.1088%2f1755-1315%2f1019%2f1%2f012028&partnerID=40&md5=ef81df5a37f3636c99f0261953f59fe8

Domestic solid waste management and recycling have been a continuous effort for local authorities. However, recycling activities are still participatory practices in Malaysia. To date, there is no specific law that enforces urban residents to recycle their solid waste. Therefore, this study is intended to investigate recycling facilities (a mechanism) and the urban household's behaviour towards recycling in Selangor. Shah Alam was selected as the Case Study using six (6) administrative sections (Seksyen 2, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11) comprising of landed and high-rise housing schemes as the study areas. Research methods included Site Observation, Questionnaire Survey and a Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The questionnaire survey employed the Convenient Random Sampling technique owing to the new norm of the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results demonstrated significant differences in households' behaviour for residents living in landed properties compared to the high-rise households. The residents are more inclined to recycle when the recycling facilities are closer to their vicinity. This relates very much to the facilities and recycling program delivered by the city council for areas with landed houses and apartments. The study suggested an improvement in domestic solid waste management through proposals put forward by the FGD participants, including the creation of recycling software Applications, enhanced policies and strategies for recycling and further educate the public on the importance of protecting their environment through recycling. The outcome of this study may be a reference to the authority and waste operators in improving their practice for the benefit of Shah Alam's environment and public well-being. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.