Rubbish to power: Malaysia’s waste-to-energy push eases landfill strain but raises pollution fears

JERAM, Selangor – The first thing that hits you, like a physical wave, is the odour – an acrid, pungent stench that stings the eyes and throat. The noxious fumes rise from mounds of decomposing organic waste, a putrid cocktail brewing under the tropical heat.

Here in Jeram, one of Malaysia’s largest landfill zones located 50km west of Kuala Lumpur, rubbish is left exposed to the elements for days, drawing swarms of flies and pests.

Yet, the open-air pits of the Jeram landfill in Selangor are now bound for a higher purpose: the incinerator next door, where trash is transformed into electricity.

While meant to provide an alternative energy source even as existing landfills fill up fast, the waste-to-energy (WTE) push has also ignited anxieties among residents and green groups over potential pollution and health risks.

“The WTE plant prolongs the Jeram landfill lifespan, as rubbish can go to the incinerator and not pile up in the waste site,” Selangor legislative watchdog head R. Rajiv told the media during a site tour on May 25.

On May 13, Malaysia’s largest WTE incinerator in Jeram, operated by state-owned Worldwide Sdn Bhd, began operations: Jeram Plant 1 was completed recently, and Jeram Plant 2 is expected to be operational by November.

Once fully operational, the combined facility, built at a cost of RM1.2 billion (S$385 million), will be capable of incinerating 3,000 tonnes of solid domestic waste daily to generate 50MW of electricity – enough to power at least 11,000 homes.

The less-hazardous bottom ash left behind will be recycled for use in construction and road-paving materials, while the toxic fly ash caught by the filters must be treated with cement before safe disposal at a secure area of the adjacent landfill.

As it stands, there have been no complaints about smells from the community, since the nearest residential area, Taman Permai, is located approximately 4 km away from the Jeram landfill.

Selangor, the country’s most populous state, is planning to build another two incinerators. These two additional facilities, along with the two Jeram plants, will collectively be able to generate 150MW of electricity capacity from processing 10,000 tonnes of daily household rubbish.

Malaysia aims to operate 18 WTE plants nationwide by 2040, transforming the daily household waste generated by citizens into 600MW of renewable energy capacity. That eventual output would be equivalent to 2.5 per cent of the country’s current power supply – estimated at 24,000MW – which is mainly met by non-renewable fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas.

Malaysia does not export its domestic solid waste, which amounts to nearly 40,000 tonnes daily, to other countries. Environmental agencies and waste operators have warned that the nation’s 135 landfills will run out of landfill space for solid waste disposal by 2050 if current practices continue unchecked.

A peek inside the plant

During a media tour of the inaugural Jeram plant on May 25, Rajiv observed the facility generating 29.8MW of electricity – well above the projected 25MW capability.

“Generating at this level exceeds my expectations,” he said. Unlike previous Malaysian incinerator projects that failed due to inefficient boiler heat, this WTE facility represents a significant shift in technology, said Selangor backbencher Rajiv.

However, the Jeram plant, which runs round the clock, “could face financial difficulties if the burning of rubbish generates insufficient heat, for example (producing only) 15MW of electricity, thus falling short of projected revenue”, he added.

In 2014, the Malaysian Parliament’s public accounts watchdog found that four mini-incinerator projects in the tourist destinations of Langkawi, Tioman, Pangkor, and Cameron Highlands had failed because the government approved the use of unproven incinerator technology.

‘Zero waste to landfill’ greenwashing

If all 18 WTE plants operate as planned, they could offset regular waste accumulation while supplying 600MW of renewable energy capacity, aligning with Malaysia’s goal of achieving 70 per cent renewable energy capacity by 2050. However, the roll-out has drawn sharp criticism from green groups wary of opaque environmental data and pollution risks.

A residents’ group, Rawang Reject Incinerator Network, collected over 12,000 signatures in 2025 to protest against a proposed RM4.5 billion WTE plant in Batu Arang, a former coal-mining town 50km north-west of Kuala Lumpur. The plant in Selangor, yet to be constructed, is expected to process 2,400 tonnes of solid waste and generate 40 MW of electricity.

More than 500,000 residents living within a 5km radius could be affected if the plant is built, according to the group .“We are concerned about the proposed Batu Arang WTE project for several reasons, including potential health risks, traffic hazards and environmental impact,” its spokesperson, Abdul Hanan Abd Mokti, told the media.

Batu Arang is situated on a former coal mine, while the plant would be located on a former open-cast coal mine. This could also “affect the geological stability of the area,”, according to the group.

A Greenpeace Malaysia zero waste campaigner, Weng Dun Xin, said pollutive and hazardous by-products from WTE plants, such as fly ash, may require long-term management. This would be to ensure safe containment so that the toxic, powdery residue does not escape into the atmosphere and threaten the respiratory health of nearby residential communities. Due to its role in capturing plant emissions, fly ash concentrates pollutants that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere.

“The zero-waste landscape has seen more greenwashing and sustainability claims, specifically claims of ‘zero waste to landfill’,” she said. By that, she meant that the phrase, “zero waste to landfill”, is sometimes used as “greenwashing” in order to make WTE incinerators sound eco-friendly when they actually are not.

“This further raises questions about the operation of WTE plants and the need to (properly) dispose of fly ash in landfills,” Weng told ST.

The real test of incinerator monitoring lies in continuous emissions data, independent monitoring, ash disposal records, public access to information and accountability when standards are breached – this is currently lacking at the moment, she said.

Instead, she suggested prioritising waste separation at the source: routing organic waste to composting facilities, sending recyclables to material recovery networks, and directing construction debris to dedicated salvage systems.

The Jeram facility does not segregate waste before incineration.

At Jeram Plant 1, gas emission parameters meet the Department of Environment’s (DOE) requirements and are “monitored around the clock”, according to an operator briefing cited by Rajiv.

The bottom ash of incinerated garbage will be recycled for construction and road-paving materials, while fly ash will be treated to comply with DOE standards before being sent to a landfill, a spokesperson for the plant’s operator, Worldwide Holdings, told ST.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability did not respond to ST’s request for comment on gas emissions and other details at the Jeram facility.

Chemical engineering researchers at Monash University Malaysia, Saman Ilankoon and Shafeeq Ahmed Syed Ali, believe the WTE plants could help diversify Malaysia’s energy sources and significantly reduce the volume of waste in a shorter timeframe compared with traditional landfills.

However, they noted that concerns over potential air and water pollution issues resulting from WTE plants generally trigger a “not-in-my-backyard” response from the surrounding communities.

“Public opinion and perception matter and the relevant authorities should initiate a data-driven dialogue with residents living near the planned WTE plants. Otherwise, public opposition may delay or halt these projects, further straining existing landfill management systems and leading to additional costs,” they said in a joint written response to ST.