LocationsFive local proposals chosen to pilot scalable waste management solutions for Malaysia’s islands
Tackling island waste through community-led innovation: MOF and UNDP announce challenge winners
April 4, 2025
LingXing Lee / Unsplash
KUALA LUMPUR, 4 April 2025 – From leveraging nanoparticles to clean oil spills, to using green hydrogen to break down plastics, five pioneering solutions have emerged as winners of the Malaysia Island Waste Innovation Challenge. Organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance Malaysia, the challenge was designed to identify and support local, community-led initiatives that tackle island waste issues faced by the country’s coastal sanctuaries as sustainable tourism destinations.
The five winning initiatives (by alphabetical order) are:
- Institut Kemahiran Tinggi Belia Negara Sepang’s Magnetic Oil Sorbent System, which introduces an innovative bio-based, reusable oil spill cleanup solution;
- Kelab Inovasi Lestari Hijau’s Zero-Waste Langkawi, a multi-pronged initiative focusing on waste segregation, plastic-to-fuel conversion, and upcycled art;
- Politeknik Mersing’s BlueNet, a solar-powered IoT system that collects, shreds, and repurposes abandoned fishing nets into sustainable filament;
- The Meraki Daat Sabah Initiative’s Plastic Concrete Pavers, which repurposes shredded plastics into durable building materials; and
- University Malaya’s Waste-to-Wealth Pyrolysis System, an integrated cost-effective system using green hydrogen as fuel for pyrolysis whilst capturing CO2.
Launched on August 1, 2024, the challenge was designed to source homegrown solutions to waste-related challenges on Malaysian islands, as part of efforts to localise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for local development. The initiative focuses on fostering partnerships and empowering communities to implement waste reduction strategies that support sustainable tourism – helping promote local economies whilst preserving Malaysia’s natural heritage. The challenge called for proposals tackling plastic pollution, food waste, water contamination, and carbon emissions, with an emphasis on practical, community-led solutions that can be sustained over time.
"Waste mismanagement threatens the future of Malaysia’s islands, polluting its fragile ecosystem and driving up disposal costs for communities. Without urgent intervention, these challenges will continue to threaten biodiversity and marine ecosystems, disrupt livelihoods, and undermine Malaysia’s long-term tourism potential. This challenge aims to tackle this crisis at scale through local action, seeking solutions that can safeguard the future of Malaysia’s crucial ecosystems," stated Edward Vrkić, Resident Representative of UNDP Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei Darussalam.
“Through the power of innovation, the UNDP Challenge transforms environmental obstacles into opportunities — creating sustainable solutions that reduce waste, preserve our resources, and pave the way for a cleaner, greener future,” added YBrs. Dr. Norhazni Binti Mat Sari, Deputy Director General (Operation), Department of Environment, Malaysia.
The five successful applicants are receiving up to USD$40,000 in funding to implement the proposed waste management initiatives on selected Malaysian islands that receive tourists. The winners are also receiving technical advisory assistance from UNDP to support the development of the initiative.
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For more information about the project:
Faizal Adli Zainudin
UNDP Project Associate
faizal.adli.zainudin@undp.org
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