Abstract
Malaysia is one of the most successful countries in transition. Steady economic growth, low
unemployment rates, stable political conditions and plenty of resources resulted in such a
good situation that developed countries like Germany stopped their development cooperation
in form of foreign aid. On the other hand, due to economic growth and a rapidly growing
population the amount of generated waste increases fast and leads to severe environmental
problems.
While the rural population still produces small amounts of municipal solid waste (between 0.5
and 0.8 kg/cap/day), the main problem seems to be the consumption-orientated urban
middle-class that generates about 1.9 kg/cap/day of municipal solid waste (MSW).
Waste management is the responsibility of local governments. For that reason differences in
the type of management system and their effectiveness can be seen. Waste collection in
urban communities covers nearly all inhabitants, but in rural regions only 66% of the
population have access to a waste management system. For this reason many illegal