Malaysians are throwing away more diapers each year, as the population ages and more elderly people have started using diapers, aside from babies, said the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government.
Its secretary-general Arpah Abdul Razak said on Tuesday that diapers now formed 12.14 per cent of the total waste disposed in the country.
“This shows that we have an ageing population as more senior citizens are using diapers, too,” she said in her presentation entitled “Solid Waste Management in Malaysia: A Way Forward” at the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) Congress 2013 in Austria.
AFP reported that Arpah shared Malaysia’s experience in transforming its solid waste management through three approaches.
The approaches are federalisation of solid waste management, privatisation of household solid waste collection services and treatment and disposal of solid waste.
She had also stressed the importance of using more environmental-friendly and cost-effective technology such as thermal treatment.
Over 1,000 delegates from 82 countries attended the annual congress, which aims to discuss existing and new findings on the technology and management of solid waste.
Waste Management of Malaysia president Ho De Leong said Malaysia would bid to host the 2018 World Congress in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia’s fifteen member team included Department of National Solid Waste director-general Dr Nadzri Yahaya, Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation board member Roger Tan, academia, senior officials from local authorities and waste management concession companies.
