Skip to main content

Environmental Management and Construction Waste Strategies in Malaysia: An Overview of Green Materials and Waste Management Challenge

Author(s): Michael Lie 1 , Nicholas Tam 2 , Gaurav Talukdar 3
Author(s) information:
1 Enviro Management, Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
2 Faculty of of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787, Warsaw, Poland
3 Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas, 66045, USA

Corresponding author

This review provides an overview of Malaysia's environmental management practices, with a focus on construction waste management, to address the country's growing waste generation in the construction sector. The paper highlights key challenges Malaysia faces in implementing effective environmental practices and offers potential solutions to overcome these hurdles. Additionally, it examines the use of green materials, such as recycled concrete aggregate and bamboo, which have demonstrated significant potential in reducing resource consumption and carbon emissions. The challenges of adopting these materials are analyzed, along with a discussion of their advantages and limitations. Ultimately, the review underscores the importance of environmental management and the role of sustainable materials in transforming Malaysia’s construction industry, while calling for stronger regulatory frameworks and industry collaboration to address these challenges. The objective of this review is to provide insights into the current environmental management efforts in Malaysia and to explore the potential of green materials in mitigating environmental impacts.

Next article

Zhang, H.; Peng, Y.; Tian, G.; Wang, D.; Xie, P. (2017). Green material selection for sustainability: A hybrid MCDM approach. PLoS One, 12, e0177578. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177578.

Singh, S.; Olugu, E.U.; Musa, S.N.; Mahat, A.B.; Wong, K.Y. (2016). Strategy selection for sustainable manufacturing with integrated AHP-VIKOR method under interval-valued fuzzy environment. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 84, 547–563. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-015-7553-9.

Govindan, K.; Madan Shankar, K.; Kannan, D. (2016). Sustainable material selection for construction industry – A hybrid multi criteria decision making approach. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 55, 1274–1288. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.100.

Is GRC a ‘Green’ Building Material? (accessed on 14 August 2024). Available online: http://www.specialistaggregates.com.

Kuppusamy, S.; Chew, H.Y.; Mari, T.S.; Chai, C.S. (2019). Implementation of green building materials in construction industry in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 268, 012006. http://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/268/1/012006.

Dräger, P.; Letmathe, P. (2022). Value losses and environmental impacts in the construction industry – Tradeoffs or correlates? Journal of Cleaner Production, 336, 130435. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130435.

Chong, J.H.; Liu, M.S.; Hernandes, E.; Albescu, M. (2023). Implementation of green materials in construction management system in Malaysia. Civil and Sustainable Urban Engineering, 3, 51–69. http://doi.org/10.53623/csue.v3i1.212.

Begum, R.A.; Pereira, J.J. (2007). Construction waste generation, composition and recycling: a comparative analysis of issues. In 1st Construction Industry Research Achievement International Conference (CIRAIC), Kuala Lumpur.

Begum, R.A.; Siwar, C.; Pereira, J.J.; Jaafar, A.H. (2006). A benefit–cost analysis on the economic feasibility of construction waste minimisation: The case of Malaysia. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 48, 86–98. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2006.01.004.

Ding, T.; Xiao, J.; Tam, V.W.Y. (2016). A closed-loop life cycle assessment of recycled aggregate concrete utilization in China. Waste Management, 56, 367–375. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.05.031.

Aman, A.M.N.; Selvarajoo, A.; Chong, S.; Teo, F.Y. (2022). Comparative life cycle assessment of pervious concrete production in Malaysia with natural and recycled aggregate. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions, 7, 1–16. http://doi.org/10.1007/s41062-022-00801-3.

Tam, V.W.Y.; Soomro, M.; Evangelista, A.C.J. (2018). A review of recycled aggregate in concrete applications (2000–2017). Construction and Building Materials, 172, 272–292. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.03.240.

Illegal Dumping Site: Case Study in the District of Johor Bahru Tengah, Johor. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: http://dspace.unimap.edu.my:80/handle/123456789/1179.

Ismail, S.; Hoe, K.W.; Ramli, M. (2013). Sustainable aggregates: The potential and challenge for natural resources conservation. Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 101, 100–109. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.183.

Lachimpadi, S.K.; Pereira, J.J.; Taha, M.R.; Mokhtar, M. (2012). Construction waste minimisation comparing conventional and precast construction (Mixed System and IBS) methods in high-rise buildings: A Malaysia case study. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 68, 96–103. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.08.011.

Wong, P.X.; Nur, S.; Roslan, A. (2019). Construction and demolition waste management in Malaysian construction industry—Concrete waste management. Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur Research Journal, 7, 1.

Yahaya, I.; Abidin, Z. (2020). The implementation of environmental practices by Malaysian contractors. International Journal of Integrated Engineering, 12, 310–318. http://doi.org/10.30880/ijie.2020.12.04.030.

Department of Environment. Environmental Quality (Compounding of Offenses) Rules 1978 – Department of Environment. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://www.doe.gov.my/en/environmental-quality-compounding-of-offenses-rules-1978/.

Department of Environment. Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 – P.U. (A) 158/2007 – Department of Environment. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://www.doe.gov.my/en/environmental-quality-scheduled-waste-amendment-regulations-2007-p-u-a-158-2007/.

Environmental Quality Act 1974. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://www.env.go.jp/en/recycle/asian_net/Country_Information/Law_N_Regulation/Malaysia/Malaysia_mal13278.pdf.

Local Government Act 1976. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/mal130371.pdf.

National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://doe.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Standard-Kualiti-Air-Kebangsaan.pdf.

Asnor, A.S.; Al-Mohammad, M.S.; Ahmad, S.W.; Almutairi, S.; Rahman, R.A. (2022). Challenges for implementing environmental management plans in construction projects: The case of Malaysia. Sustainability, 14, 6231. http://doi.org/10.3390/su14106231.

Afroz, R.; Masud, M.M.; Akhtar, R.; Duasa, J.B. (2014). Water pollution: Challenges and future direction for water resource management policies in Malaysia. Environment and Urbanization Asia, 5, 63–81. http://doi.org/10.1177/0975425314521544.

Environmental Quality (Licensing) Regulations 1977. (accessed on 12 September 2024). Available online: https://www.doe.gov.my/en/environmental-quality-licensing-regulations-1977-p-u-a-198-77-3/.

Verian, K.P.; Ashraf, W.; Cao, Y. (2018). Properties of recycled concrete aggregate and their influence in new concrete production. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 133, 30–49. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.02.005.

Rahman, I.A.; Hamdam, H.; Mujahid, A.; Zaidi, A. (2009). Assessment of recycled aggregate concrete.

Ismail, S.; Ramli, M. (2013). Engineering properties of treated recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for structural applications. Construction and Building Materials, 44, 464–476. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2013.03.014.

Nwakaire, C.M.; Yap, S.P.; Onn, C.C.; Yuen, C.W.; Moosavi, S.M.H. (2022). Utilisation of recycled concrete aggregates for sustainable porous asphalt pavements. The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering, 17, 117–142. http://doi.org/10.7250/bjrbe.2022-17.554.

Katz, A. (2003). Properties of concrete made with recycled aggregate from partially hydrated old concrete. Cement and Concrete Research, 33, 703–711. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0008-8846(02)01033-5.

Padmini, A.K.; Ramamurthy, K.; Mathews, M.S. (2009). Influence of parent concrete on the properties of recycled aggregate concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 23, 829–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CONBUILDMAT.2008.03.006.

Tabsh, S.W.; Abdelfatah, A.S. (2009). Influence of recycled concrete aggregates on strength properties of concrete. Construction and Building Materials, 23, 1163–1167. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CONBUILDMAT.2008.07.015.

Tam, V.W.Y.; Tam, C.M.; Zeng, S.X. (2005). Recycling of construction and demolition waste in Hong Kong: a review of the current practices and future challenges. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 45, 82–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2005.03.002.

Wong, H.H.; Mohammed, F.A.; Chang, W.P. (2017). Properties of concrete containing recycled concrete aggregate for green building: A review. Green Materials, 5, 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1680/gmat.16.00001.

Mardani, A.; Zavadskas, E.K.; Khalifah, Z.; Tamosaitiene, J.; Raza, A.; Kamal, M.M.; Jabbour, A.E. (2017). Fuzzy MCDM approaches in sustainable manufacturing: a review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 168, 1224–1235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.09.048.

Osman, S.; Kamarudin, M.K.; Hamid, Y.S.; Wahab, N.M.A.A. (2022). Bamboo as future bio-industrial material: Physical behaviour and bending strength of Malaysia’s Beting bamboo (Gigantochloa levis). IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 951(1), 012001. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/951/1/012001.

Awalluddin, D.; Yusof, A.H.; Ahmad, F.; Mahmud, M.; Rani, Z. (2019). Interactive buckling of structural local bamboo in Malaysia. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 220(1), 012036. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/220/1/012036.

Fahim, M.; Haris, M.; Khan, W.; Zaman, S. (2022). Bamboo as a construction material: Prospects and challenges. Advances in Science and Technology Research Journal, 16(3), 165–175. https://doi.org/10.12913/22998624/149737.

Awalluddin, D.; Wan, S.H.; Zain, M.; Shakir, S.; Darmawan, A. (2017). Mechanical properties of different bamboo species. MATEC Web of Conferences, 138, 01024. https://doi.org/10.1051/MATECCONF/201713801024.

Madhushan, S.; Buddika, S.; Bandara, S.; Navaratnam, S.; Abeysuriya, N. (2023). Uses of bamboo for sustainable construction—A structural and durability perspective—a review. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(14), 11137. https://doi.org/10.3390/SU151411137.

ISO 22156:2021 - Bamboo structures — Bamboo culms — Structural design. (accessed on 13 September 2024). Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/73831.html.

ISO 19624:2018 - Bamboo structures — Grading of bamboo culms — Basic principles and procedures. (accessed on 13 September 2024). Available online: https://www.iso.org/standard/65528.html.

Mansor, H.; Wahab, N.M.A.A.; Hamid, Y.S.; Kamarudin, M.K. (2019). A mockup unit of the an-eco budget bamboo chalet: Design and cost estimation analysis. MATEC Web of Conferences, 258, 01010. https://doi.org/10.1051/MATECCONF/201925801010.

Abbas, A.; Abdallah, M.; Al Jallad, A. (2009). Quantification of the residual mortar content in recycled concrete aggregates by image analysis. Materials Characterization, 60(7), 716–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MATCHAR.2009.01.010.

de Juan, M.S.; Gutiérrez, P.A. (2009). Study on the influence of attached mortar content on the properties of recycled concrete aggregate. Construction and Building Materials, 23(2), 872–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CONBUILDMAT.2008.04.012.

Mah, C.M.; Fujiwara, T.; Ho, C.S. (2018). Life cycle assessment and life cycle costing toward eco-efficiency concrete waste management in Malaysia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 3415–3427. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2017.11.200.

Adier, M.F.V.; Sevilla, M.E.P.; Valerio, D.N.R.; Ongpeng, J.M.C. (2023). Bamboo as sustainable building materials: A systematic review of properties, treatment methods, and standards. Buildings, 13(10), 2449. https://doi.org/10.3390/BUILDINGS13102449.

About this article

SUBMITTED: 16 September 2024
ACCEPTED: 18 October 2024
PUBLISHED: 26 October 2024
SUBMITTED to ACCEPTED: 33 days
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v4i2.498

Cite this article
Lie, M. ., Tam, N., & Talukdar, G. . (2024). Environmental Management and Construction Waste Strategies in Malaysia: An Overview of Green Materials and Waste Management Challenge. Industrial and Domestic Waste Management, 4(2), 106–117. https://doi.org/10.53623/idwm.v4i2.498
Keywords
Accessed
173
Citations
0
Share this article