The rapid industrial development in Malaysia has created..........claim that the waste disposal situation is safe for the people and the environment.

The rapid industrial development in Malaysia has created significant industrial waste pollution problems which need immediate remedy. Industrial waste pollution has created a lot of effluent.

Much of this effluent contains toxic and hazardous waste. Management of industrial waste is a growing concern in Malaysia. The waste if improperly segregated or disposed off can cause dangerous results. This means that the proper management of such toxic and hazardous waste requires discipline, vigilance and at times just common sense.

The co-disposal of toxic industrial waste together with household waste in landfill disposal sites can cause potential release of toxic material into the environment through leaching. Therefore, the best approach to waste management is not to produce waste, but to produce less waste or to produce waste of reduced hazard. This goal can be promoted in several ways, such as to apply proper waste management, to select a process that inherently produces less waste, to recycle and reuse generated waste and to select non-hazardous and less toxic material.

In Malaysia, the control of hazardous waste is governed by the Environmental Quality Act passed in 1974. A hazardous waste is a solid, liquid or gas that could pose dangers to human health or the environment. Under the 1989 Environmental Quality Regulations, scheduled waste is required to be handled properly. It can be industrial, hospital and household waste. Currently, there are 107 categories of scheduled wastes, listed under these regulations. These categories of waste shall be disposed off at prescribed premises only and be treated at prescribed premises or treatment facilities only. They have to be treated through some microbial-based on-site processes to remove or detoxify the waste material.

Generally, the project implemented, namely 'Leachate Treatment System Using Microbial Process' will attempt to develop new microbial processes for waste treatment. This project will look into bioremediation of solid waste in landfill sites and the effects on groundwater and the environment.

The aims of the project are to achieve cost-effective industrial wastewater management through new approaches, the development of appropriate microbial treatment and detoxification technologies and identification of resident microbes. The benefits are comprehensive characterization and evaluation of leachate generated from local landfill sites and identification of microbes.

The Leachate Treatment System Using Microbial Process' project was one of the most comprehensive studies to be conducted on local landfill leachate, which is a significant source of aquatic pollution yet to be properly managed. The findings are expected to provide the scientific and technical basis for the design and operation of proper landfill leachate management systems in the future.

Meanwhile, new guidelines passed on waste disposal have proved effective. They include recommendations and procedures for handling and disposal of chemical waste from laboratories in such manner that will not constitute a risk to human health, safety or the environment. The guidelines outline the type of chemical waste generated in laboratories, approaches in the minimization of chemical waste, safety procedures in handling such waste, laboratory safety procedures and the chemical waste disposal procedures.

To paint a brighter picture, much progress has been made in waste disposal in the country. However, a lot more still needs to be done for us to claim that the waste disposal situation is safe for the people and the environment.

Summary: There is much industrial waste in Malaysia. Much of this is toxic and dangerous. The waste if improperly disposed off can cause dangerous results. Therefore, proper management of such waste requires discipline and vigilance. The best approach is to produce less waste or produce waste of reduced hazard. Hazardous waste poses danger to human health and the environment. The 107 categories of scheduled wastes have to be treated through some microbial-based processes to remove waste material. The Leachate Treatment System Using Microbial Process attempts to develop new microbial processes for waste treatment. The aims are achieving cost-effective industrial wastewater management. New guidelines on waste disposal have proved effective. They include recommendations and procedures for handling and disposal of chemical waste from laboratories that will not constitute a risk to human health, safety or the environment.