Barriers and critical success factors for sustainable hazardous waste management in Malaysia

Chin, Yik Heng (2026) Barriers and critical success factors for sustainable hazardous waste management in Malaysia. Master dissertation/thesis, UTAR.

PDF Download (5Mb)

Abstract

This study examines the barriers and critical success factors (CSFs) influencing sustainable hazardous waste management in Malaysia, in the context of rapid industrial growth, escalating scheduled waste generation, increasing disposal costs, and declining national environmental performance. Despite the existence of comprehensive regulatory frameworks under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and its subsidiary legislations, sustainable practices such as waste recovery and waste-to-energy remain underutilized, resulting in continued reliance on secured landfilling and recurring incidents of illegal dumping. These challenges highlight the need for a deeper understanding of both impediments and enablers to sustainability within industrial hazardous waste management. The primary objective of this research is to identify and analyze the key barriers and CSFs affecting the adoption of sustainable hazardous waste management practices in Malaysia and to propose actionable strategies to enhance industry implementation. A mixed-methods research design was employed, integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches to strengthen methodological robustness. The qualitative phase involved preliminary site visits, literature review, and informal consultations with competent personnel to establish contextual understanding and inform questionnaire development. The quantitative phase consisted of a structured survey administered to 103 competent environmental professionals across multiple industrial sectors. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, reliability testing, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify underlying latent constructs governing barriers and success factors. The analysis identified seven principal barrier components, with lack of awareness and outreach emerging as the most significant obstacle, followed by financial constraints, regulatory complexity, insufficient infrastructure, public perception issues, resource limitations, and uncertainty regarding hazardous waste characteristics and recovery potential. Conversely, five critical success factor components were extracted, with organizational drivers, particularly top management commitment, leadership support, and resource allocation, ranked as the most influential enablers. External obligations (regulatory and customer pressure), positive corporate reputation, beneficiary capabilities, and organizational imperatives were also found to play important roles in advancing sustainability efforts. To enhance the credibility and practical relevance of the findings, data validation was conducted through expert review. An industry expert certified in scheduled waste management evaluated the extracted components, rankings, and interpretations, confirming that the results accurately reflect current industry practices, cost considerations, and operational realities. Expert feedback further reinforced the importance of contractor collaboration and economic feasibility in sustainable waste management decision making. The novel contribution of this study lies in its integrated empirical framework that simultaneously maps barriers and CSFs within the Malaysian regulatory and industrial context, supported by statistical validation and industry verification. The findings provide practical insights for policymakers, regulators, and industry practitioners by demonstrating that sustainable hazardous waste management requires a dual strategy: mitigating awareness, regulatory, and resource barriers while leveraging leadership commitment, incentives, and reputational drivers. This research contributes to bridging the gap between regulatory intent and industrial practice and supports Malaysia’s transition toward circular economy principles and long-term environmental sustainability.

Actions (login required)