According to PlanMalaysia, the government has also provided guidelines for developing sanitary landfills and waste processing facilities to manage waste effectively and minimise the environmental impact of landfills.
For governments and municipalities, social responsibility entails a commitment to enhancing the wellbeing of society as a whole.
It goes beyond economic considerations and encompasses social, environmental and ethical dimensions.
Socially responsible governments enable sustainable development by ensuring that urban growth minimises negative environmental impacts, promotes resource efficiency and maintains long-term ecological balance.
Social responsibility for governments
In the context of urban planning, social responsibility for governments and municipalities involves several key aspects.
First, it requires equitable and inclusive development, ensuring equal access to resources, services and opportunities for all members of society. Not only that, it also prioritises public health and safety through measures to protect public wellbeing, maintain clean environments and improve safety conditions.
Stakeholder engagement and collaboration are essential in social responsibility, as they actively involve the public in decision-making processes, fostering community engagement and making collaborative efforts with stakeholders to address social challenges collectively.
What’s happening in Stockholm?
In terms of urban planning, Smart City Sweden is a Swedish state-founded export platform that initiates cooperation between Sweden and other countries within smart and sustainable city solutions.
Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden, is taking significant steps to promote sustainability and advance urban planning, with one of the key measures implemented by the city being the mandatory collection of food waste.
Beginning this year, a recent legislation in Sweden mandates the separation of food waste for both households and businesses.
Additionally, all local authorities in Sweden are required to establish systems for the separate collection of food waste.
Although food waste separation has been practised in various regions of the country for some time, it is only now being officially regulated by law.
According to calculations from Stockholm Vatten och Avfall—the company responsible for the capital’s waste management—a mere “5kg of food waste can power a car to cover an impressive distance of almost a mile”.
In related news, Stockholm Vatten och Avfall is building a sorting plant in Högdalen to enable more households living in apartments to sort out their food waste, which is a new approach to the local government’s role in providing recycling facilities.
Swedes recognise food waste as a valuable energy source. It is utilised—among other applications—to produce biogas, serving as a sustainable substitute for fossil fuels used in buses, lorries and even cars.
In addition, Avfall Sverige, the Swedish waste management organisation, reveals that a significant majority of municipalities in Sweden, specifically 256 out of 290, have implemented varying levels of food waste collection systems at the source.
However, some smaller municipalities, particularly those located in northern Sweden and rural areas, have yet to introduce such systems.
The decision to abstain from implementation is often a result of the substantial costs associated with low population densities, long distances and challenging weather conditions, which make waste management more difficult in these regions.
Closer to home
Similarly, the Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia) has implemented several initiatives to improve access to sustainable waste management and recycling services in urban areas across Malaysia.
PLANMalaysia is a department under the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT), with the goal of improving people’s wellbeing and national prosperity by 2030.
The department provides planning advisory services and helps local authorities prepare development plans at all levels.
Some of their notable key measures include:
> Comprehensive waste collection and disposal: The government has mandated regular waste collection schedules to ensure timely removal of household and commercial waste. It has also provided guidelines for developing sanitary landfills and waste processing facilities to manage waste effectively and minimise environmental impact.
> Recycling programmes: PLANMalaysia has made it a requirement to provide recycling bins and the establishment of recycling centres to encourage waste segregation and recycling among residents. Public awareness campaigns have been launched to educate people on the importance of recycling and proper waste disposal. They added that the government is also supporting the development of waste-to-energy facilities to convert non-recyclable waste into energy.
> Green neighbourhood initiatives: The urban planning framework includes promoting urban farming practices in communities, which incorporates composting and the reduction of single-use plastics to further improve waste management and recycling.
> Waste disposal regulations: Enforcement of regulations for proper waste disposal, including hazardous waste.
> Sustainability monitoring: Using the Malaysian Urban-Rural National Indicators Network for Sustainable Development (MURNInets) to measure and assess the sustainability of a local authority area through urban indicators.
They have also introduced intervention plans such as the Land Use Planning Master Plan For National Food Production Area (KAGUMN) to reduce our dependence on imported food products and increase our self-sufficiency rate.
PLANMalaysia’s sustainable urban development strategies to enhance livability and environmental sustainability across our cities.
According to PLANMalaysia, they ensure successful implementation of community-based planning or micro-planning through several special action plans as the fourth tier planning - namely the Urban Special Action Plan (PTKB), Rural Special Action Plan (PTKLB) and Community Special Action Plan (PTKK).
“These plans enable community-based projects to solve current issues that need fast action and fulfil the needs of the community. The fourth tier planning or micro-planning must address people’s needs. To plan for the people by the people, and to let the people shape the environment they want to live in,” PLANMalaysia told StarESG.
“The upcoming 5th National Physical Plan (NPP5) and the 3rd National Urbanisation Policy (NUP3) will further strengthen the people and community aspects by stressing on the human scale planning and community building for our future cities as visualised by Malaysia MADANI’s aspiration.”
PLANMalaysia is also involved in planning guidelines to promote uniform access to resources, services and opportunities across Malaysian society.
As they are the leader in urban and rural planning in Malaysia, their other initiatives also include ensuring access to affordable housing, equitably distributing public facilities such as healthcare and education, improving public transportation connectivity, expanding community development projects and promoting sustainable management of natural resources.
These measures aim to create a more inclusive society where all residents have the chance to thrive, regardless of their background or location.
Meanwhile in local news, The Star reported (May 15) that Selangor’s waste management system would undergo a due diligence period of inspection ahead of its plan to adopt the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act (Act 672).
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming had said that all of Selangor’s assets related to public waste were undergoing a thorough inspection by the National Solid Waste Management Department.
Previously on March 10, Nga announced that Selangor had agreed in principle to adopt Act 672 after Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah granted him an audience to which the latter consented to adopting the Act.
The Act, which is better known as Act 672, makes it compulsory for solid waste to be separated into recyclables and non-recyclables.
Although, it is currently only applied to the states of Pahang, Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Perlis and Kedah, as well as Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Zooming in on Selangor
Although, Stockholm is focusing specifically on organic waste (from food waste generated by households), Selangor has been making significant strides in waste management, with several key components shaping its current landscape.
Waste collection and public cleansing in Selangor are primarily handled by KDEB Waste Management (KDEBWM), a state-owned enterprise.
KDEBWM is responsible for domestic waste collection, bulky waste removal, street sweeping and drain cleaning, ensuring a cleaner and more organised environment for residents.
However, the reliance on landfills for waste disposal remains a primary challenge. With landfills reaching capacity, Selangor recognises the need for alternative waste management solutions. In response to landfills reaching peak capacity, the state is also undertaking the Selangor Green Energy Eco Park (SGEEP) project, which includes the construction of a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Rawang.
The WTE plant aims to process a significant portion of Selangor’s waste while generating electricity, reducing the dependence on landfills and providing a renewable energy source.
The existing infrastructure, managed by KDEBWM, emphasises waste collection and disposal.
However, with the construction of the SGEEP waste-to-energy plant and the presence of nascent recycling initiatives, Selangor is moving towards a more sustainable and comprehensive waste management approach.
But, if the government were to provide the necessary access and infrastructure for Malaysians like what Stockholm plans to do, would we be able to utilise these facilities efficiently and effectively?
