Untitled - Malaysian Institute of Planners

Muhammad Abu Eusuf, Mansor Ibrahim & Rafikul IslamThe Construction and Demolition Wastes in Klang Valley, Malaysiawith ever increasing population growth have led to an increase in solid wastesin most developing countries. The wastes generated from various humanactivities, both industrial and domestic, can result in health hazards and have anegative impact on the environment. In Peninsular Malaysia, the amount ofsolid waste generated per day increased from an estimated 23, 000 tonnes in2010 to 25, 000 tonnes in 2012, averaging about 0.9 kilograms per person perday. Solid waste in Malaysia on average consists of 45.0 per cent food waste,24.0 per cent plastic, 7.0 per cent paper, 6.0 per cent iron, and 3.0 per cent glassand others (Ahmed, 2010).Waste management is defined as the discipline associated with thecontrol of generation, recovering, processing and disposal of wastes in a mannerthat is in concordance with the best principles of human health, economic,engineering, aesthetics, and other environmental considerations(Tchobanoglous, 1993/ 2003). It is an important part of the urban infrastructure,as it ensures and provides protection of the environment and human health. Inorder to ensure proper management of waste, it is vital that the types of wasteare identified. Different wastes need different handling treatment and disposal.According to Wolley (2000), reducing, reusing and recycling appear to beprofitable alternatives that will increase the lifetime of landfills and reduceexploration of natural resources. In addition to that, some European countries’waste management practices are based on prevention (minimization), recoveryand restriction (reusing and recycling). Though construction is one of the vitalissues for national economic growth, however, the activities pertaining toconstruction pose various kinds of hazards to the environment and public health(CIDB, 2009). Proper management of construction and demolition (C&D)wastes is a burning issue (European Commission, 2000). There is an urgentneed to look for improvements to the present C&D waste management practicesso as to ensure good public health in an atmosphere that is environmentfriendly. All professionals have important roles in better management of C&Dwaste materials. The present research is conducted with reference to Malaysianperspectives through a case study on Klang Valley in peninsular Malaysia. Themain objectives of the present research are as follows:i) To identify the common types of waste materials generated at theconstruction sites and find out the common causes of generation;ii) To identify the most common methods applied in managing C&Dwastes at construction sites;iii) To recommend the ways through which the present C&D managementpractices can be improved in Malaysia.© 2012 by MIP