Did you know, any hazardous matter discharged, or deposited in the environment that negatively impacts the public and causes pollution is categorised as scheduled waste?

In Malaysia, there are a total of 77 types of scheduled waste listed under the First Schedule, Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations 2005, and the management of such waste shall be in accordance with the provisions under the above Regulations.

Circularity is essential for sustainability

In order to eliminate waste and use resources to its fullest, implementing a closed-loop system makes the most of both renewable and non-renewable resources. When waste is managed in a circular manner, countries are able to neutralise the amount of waste that they produce.

Cenviro, which stands for ‘Clean Environment’ have played a pivotal role in driving positive change in Malaysia’s environmental landscape, creating effective change in the areas of waste management, renewable energy and reimagining resources. 

Get to know Southeast Asia’s largest integrated waste management centre

Majority owned by Malaysia’s Sovereign Fund, Khazanah Nasional with a minority shareholding by SK Ecoplant, Cenviro has been successfully operating a scheduled waste-to-energy (SWtE) plant since 2018, leveraging over three decades of expertise in the industry.

Through its subsidiary Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd, Cenviro owns and operates Malaysia’s first integrated waste management centre (WMC), located in Negeri Sembilan, which has the capacity to store, treat and dispose of more than 100,000 tonnes of scheduled waste annually.

Apart from that, it is capable of treating 76 out of 77 scheduled waste codes listed under Environment Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulation 2005 for collection, treatment, recycling, recovery, and final disposal. In January 2024, their SWtE plant in Johor will begin their operations. 

Cenviro also extends its involvement in recycling and recovery via its associate company Shan Poornam Sdn Bhd, which stands as the largest e-waste and metal recycling and recovery service provider in Malaysia. The company's commitment to municipal solid waste management and public cleansing, exemplified by its contributions through Environment Idaman (E-Idaman) in Kedah and Perlis.

Driven by a commitment to excellence, Cenviro aims to offer waste resource solutions that leave a lasting beneficial impact to meet stringent international and local standards.

The significance of including ESG factors in the waste management sector

Representing Cenviro, its Group Managing Director Dr Johari Jalil said, being the Modern Resource Company, we are fully committed to sustainability by looking at all areas in our value chain to reduce impact to the environment and reducing usage of energy. We believe it is critical to align our sustainability agenda with our operations. Rather than diverging from our sustainability goals by opening new landfills and incinerating all the waste, we try to recover and recycle the incoming wastes to become raw materials again hence contributing to less virgin mining by other industries.

“We have been leveraging technology to reduce emissions from our stack/chimneys and transform waste into valuable resources, thus reducing our carbon footprint and contributing to a cleaner environment. Our vision is to burn less and reduce GHG emissions, while simultaneously increasing the value of the resources we manage,” he explained.

How does Cenviro contribute to Malaysia’s circular economy?

The circular economy is guided by the 4R approach; reduce, reuse, recycle and recover, whereby the use of new and mined resources is minimised, while the reuse of products is maximised, and materials are recycled back into the value chain.

With this concept in mind, Cenviro is focused on intensifying its capability of recycling and recovering valuable materials from scheduled waste that can be reused as resources or raw materials in industrial processes and to manufacture new products, through their R&D.

Their operations are grounded in their efforts to become more resource efficient whilst managing their environmental impact by; 

• converting waste to energy

• installing solar panels on their building rooftops

• recycling wastewater used to quench their rotary kiln

• collecting rainwater for their firefighting water supply and also for general cleaning use

Cenviro sustainable waste management and renewable energy solutions

Johari further explained that Cenviro has adopted the waste hierarchy model by reducing its own resource consumption, recovering, and reusing existing materials and waste in its operations, and subsequently producing energy before diverting the residual waste to landfills.

“This can be seen in our operations at WMC where we repurpose recycled waste oil to fuel our incinerators including reusing wooden pallets and combustible waste, and power our plants using solar panels on the roof of the buildings, reusing treated wastewater for plant quenching, harvesting rain for grey water purposes, and generating electricity from the SWtE for the national grid. This is in line with the company’s sustainability tagline of “SHIELDing the Environment for Future Generations”, he said.

Innovative environmental solution in creating more landfill capacity vertically

As a visionary step towards game-changing waste management, Cenviro managed the first state-of-the-art waste disposal method known as the Vertical Secured Landfill (VSL). The project was born with the capacity to store more than a decade's worth of waste without using an inch of new land.

“From a landfill perspective, the most cost-effective solution is to construct new landfills in new forest areas. However, Cenviro strongly urges to reduce our reliance on new landfills and instead focus on our vertical secured landfill approach. This involves building new landfills on top of existing ones, which not only saves new land from being sacrificed for landfill purposes, but also helps to reduce the negative impact on the environment,” said Johari.

Incorporating advanced technology in their commitment to sustainability

“SK Ecoplant, a renowned global leader in research and development (R&D) enhancements has helped us open doors and have access to opportunities throughout the years. Their expertise in technical and technological advancements is invaluable in our mission to promote the circular economy model for greener waste management”

“Apart from technological advancements, by partnering with them, we gain access to a wide range of sustainability and R&D projects that align with our goals. Learning from their experience helps us to enhance our position when identifying and pursuing valuable acquisitions in foreign markets,” he explained. 

From awareness to action, engaging the public on proper waste disposal

Through Cenviro’s recycling initiative known as Recycle For Life, it promotes responsible waste disposal and recycling among the public. What makes it interesting is, it is a recycling programme that rewards participants with cash value.

As a strategic partner, their continuous collaboration with the Department of Environment (DOE), private sectors and higher education institutions on corporate social responsibility programmes such as E-waste collection and tree planting encourages more public practice in recycling activities.

A Greener Future through waste management

“By Reimagining Resources, Cenviro works tirelessly to deliver innovative and outstanding services with integrity while continuously managing the impact of our operations on the environment and society”

“Through safe and innovative waste resource recovery and recycling solutions in the drive towards a circular economy, Cenviro is committed to working towards a more sustainable future and a more liveable world for all,” Johari concluded. 

For more information on Cenviro’s services, you can visit their website and social media, (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok)

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.