A systematic review of solid waste management practices and treatment technologies in ASEAN countries

Abu Samah, Mohd Armi and Ibrahim, Mohd Zulfadzli and Mohd Jan, Nurul Hafiza and Abdullah Suhaimi, Afiza (2026) A systematic review of solid waste management practices and treatment technologies in ASEAN countries. Malaysian Journal of Applied Sciences (MyJAS), 11 (2). pp. 35-52. E-ISSN 0127-9246

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Abstract

Rapid urbanisation, population growth, changing consumption patterns and rising material throughput have intensified municipal solid waste (MSW) pressures throughout Southeast Asia. Although all Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states have introduced waste policies, their collection coverage, source-separation systems, treatment infrastructure and enforcement capacity remain uneven. This systematic literature review synthesises evidence on solid-waste management and selected treatment technologies in ASEAN, with emphasis on sanitary landfilling, material recovery and recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, refuse-derived fuel, incineration, pyrolysis and gasification. The review followed the PRISMA 2020 reporting framework and used a structured search protocol for Scopus, Web of Science and supplementary institutional sources. Evidence was analysed through thematic coding, country comparison and technology-performance assessment. The synthesis shows that disposal remains dominant in much of the region, while Singapore has developed an incinerationcentred integrated system and several middle-income member states are expanding material recovery, co-processing and waste-to-energy. High moisture content, weak source segregation and heterogeneous feedstock frequently reduce the technical and financial performance of thermal treatment. Biological treatment is particularly suitable for ASEAN’s organic-rich waste stream, but contamination, unstable compost markets and limited separate collection constrain scale-up. No single technology is universally optimal. The most robust pathway is an integrated hierarchy combining prevention, segregation, recycling, biological treatment of clean organics, energy recovery from suitable residuals and engineered landfilling of final residues. The review proposes a technology-selection framework based on waste composition, scale, institutional capacity, environmental safeguards, markets and life-cycle performance.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Municipal Solid Waste; Waste-To-Energy; Composting; Circular Economy
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions > HC79.E5 Environmental policy and economic development. Sustainable development. Sustainability. T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering > TD785 Municipal refuse. Solid waste
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Medicine Kulliyyah of Medicine > Department of Department of Orthopaedics, Traumatology & Rehabilitation Kulliyyah of Science Kulliyyah of Science > Department of Chemistry
Depositing User:	Ms Amirah Hafit
Date Deposited:	04 Nov 2026 15:30
Last Update:	04 Nov 2026 15:30
Queue Number:	2026-11-Q6177
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/132645
Indexed In:	MyCite

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