Influence of Income Level and Age on Per Capita Household Solid Waste Generation in Putrajaya, Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/jt.v65.2186Keywords:
MSW, municipal solid waste, generation, affluence, age, incomeAbstract
Municipal solid waste (MSW) has always been an unavoidable byproduct of human habitation and activities. It has continued to be a problem as we are forced to find ways to properly manage it. As the world now sees an exponential growth in population, so does it sees an alarming increase in the quantity of generated MSW. If managed and disposed of improperly, MSW is a major cause of adverse environmental conditions. Rapid development, urbanization, changes in consumption patterns and elevated levels of affluence in recent decades have only exacerbated the issue, especially in transitionary countries such as Malaysia. Hence, the impetus to handle these problems and to manage MSW in an efficient yet environmentally sound manner is reaching an apogee currently. Determining per capita MSW generation rate and understanding its influencing factors is one step towards efficient MSW management. The objectives of this study is to determine current per capita residential MSW arising rate and subsequently to discern if a relationship exists between MSW generation rate, affluence and age of the residents of nominated households. Three discrete housing neighborhoods in Putrajaya were selected as the areas under study. To capture varying socioeconomic levels, the selected study areas consists of bungalow, semidetached and terraced houses. Primary data was obtained by door-to-door weighing of MSW for 12 consequent days which makes up a sampling phase. This was conducted concurrently in all study areas, with a total of 3 sampling phases done over a 1 year period. A face-to-face survey was then performed on all households under study to obtain relevant socioeconomic data. From this study, it is determined that on average, the bungalow houses under study generated 0.47 kg/cap/day of MSW, semidetached housing area produces 0.31 kg/cap of MSW daily and terraced houses had an MSW output of 0.26 kg/cap/day. This shows that affluence has a positive affect on MSW discharge rate as households that earn a higher income tend to produce more waste. However, the link between age and MSW discharge rate is found to be inconclusive. From this study, concerted efforts to reduce MSW arising can be better focused on selected target groups and demographics, bringing us a step closer to formulating and implementing sustainable waste management practices.
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