1st blog

For many, especially the older generation, solid waste (rubbish, garbage, trash, etc) is something dirty and useless.

With the rapid industrial development, solid waste is getting more and more complicated because of the diverse materials used in products and packaging.

Hence instead of "disposal" of solid waste, "management" is a more appropriate word.

Therefore, solid waste management is becoming interesting, especially in developing country like Malaysia.

For under-developed country, solid waste management is not a big deal, as most of the waste is really a "waste". As the country uses all the resource efficiently until it become a waste. This is also the reason why solid waste disposal is not an issue in the ancient time from human civilization until perhaps 1400s when the "black death" happened in Europe. In other corners of the world, waste is never a problem until the last 100 years. Urbanization is one of the factors.

As human becomes more "developed" as we claimed, we use all the natural resources in a "more than enough" manner in the name of development. Especially non-renewable resource such as all kinds of minerals.

Therefore, until today, in this stage, we began to realize the problem and the concept of "sustainable development" had introduced.

However, sustainable development is a tremendously complex concept. It includes all the aspects of human civilization such as politic, economy, social and environment.

Rich countries had used most of the resources (as you can see from the ecological/carbon footprint). Poor countries uses resources sustainably. While, newly industrialized countries (developing countries) uses resources in a fast pace (China, Malaysia, Brazil, etc).


Natural resources used = pollution + waste


Pollution happens whenever we use resources during mining, production, manufacturing, construction, packaging, marketing; to using and disposal.

Everything becomes waste in the end (except gold and diamond, perhaps)

So, globally an unbalanced uses of natural resources is happening. It is a complex to discuss this issue as it concerns with world security and development. From human history we can see.

Well, I will focus my topic on resource and waste.

To be continued...