KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — Malaysia has proposed repurposing retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries into energy storage systems to provide a reliable electricity supply to rural communities, indigenous settlements, and healthcare facilities, ensuring that the benefits of the circular economy also reach underserved communities.
Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the proposal, known as the “Circular Equity Dividend”, was one of three solutions Malaysia put forward to accelerate urban circularity globally and advance the zero-waste agenda.
Speaking at the Malaysia Pavilion TED Talk session themed “Closing the Loop: Malaysia's Journey Towards Zero Waste” at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkiye, he said the initiative aims to ensure the benefits of circularity are distributed more equitably, particularly among underserved communities.
“Malaysia's Circular Economy Blueprint for Solid Waste 2025–2035 sets national targets of achieving a 40 per cent recycling rate and diverting 53 per cent of waste from landfills by 2035, supported by initiatives such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), Separation at Source (SAS), and pilot Zero Waste Districts in Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
“In 2024, Malaysia generated 14.5 million tonnes of municipal solid waste, with food waste accounting for 44.5 per cent and plastics 13.2 per cent, while more than RM2 billion is spent annually on waste management,” he said in a statement issued by the ministry today.
Nga added that the other two proposals focus on positioning cities as “Material Banks” through mandatory Digital Material Passports, which will track the composition, lifecycle, and reuse potential of materials used in industrial products and infrastructure.
The system will enable the recovery and reuse of valuable resources such as lithium and copper, rather than discarding them.
The second proposal involves replacing conventional landfill tipping fees with Performance-Linked Circular Grants and Municipal Transition Bonds, through which local authorities can receive financial incentives based on measurable environmental outcomes, including recycling rates, landfill diversion, and methane reduction.
Drawing on Malaysia's experience with the “Traffic Light System”, implemented across all 156 local authorities nationwide, he said performance-based financing can encourage local councils to invest in recycling facilities, decentralised biodigesters, composting, and other sustainable waste management solutions.
Apart from the TED Talk session, Nga, who is also the UN-Habitat Assembly's president, is scheduled to participate in two panel discussions: “Future Fit Cities: Nature, Resilience and Innovation: Shaping the Cities of Tomorrow” and “Zero Waste: From Waste to Watts: Steps to Scale Zero Waste for Climate-Resilient Cities and Energy Security”.
He is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with international counterparts and strategic partners to strengthen cooperation in sustainable urban development and the circular economy.
Taking place from November 9 to November 20, COP31 brings together world leaders, ministers, senior government representatives, intergovernmental and multilateral organisations, civil society groups, climate adaptation practitioners, and youth advocates to advance global cooperation on climate action.
