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The perception of households about solid waste management issues in Malaysia

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Abstract

With the aim being to have an integrated and efficient management system, Malaysia is currently facing a remarkable waste issue with a massive increase in waste generated per day. This study collected 400 survey responses to assess the satisfaction and awareness of households about various issues of solid waste management. This study revealed that the majority of the respondents were satisfied with their waste management services. However, there was concern about providing a more diverse waste management facility. This study found a strong positive relationship between age and waste reduction behaviours. The majority of the respondents agreed that their lifestyle affected waste minimisation. Almost half of the respondents indicated that they lacked knowledge to practise waste sorting. Age and education were positively correlated to reuse and recycling behaviours. Overall, a holistic waste management education is vital for Malaysia to build an efficient waste management system.

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Acknowledgement

This study was funded by Special Funding for Social Science Research by Multimedia University Malaysia under Grant [IP20110321001]. The authors would like take this opportunity to thank all the research assistants in data collection and the anonymous respondents that responded to the questionnaire.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Jalan Multimedia, 63100, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia

    Shay-Wei Choon, Siow-Hooi Tan & Lee-Lee Chong

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  1. Shay-Wei Choon
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  2. Siow-Hooi Tan
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  3. Lee-Lee Chong
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Correspondence to Shay-Wei Choon.

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Choon, SW., Tan, SH. & Chong, LL. The perception of households about solid waste management issues in Malaysia. Environ Dev Sustain 19, 1685–1700 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9821-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-016-9821-8

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