FEW PLACES CAPTURE the spirit of Malaysian community life quite like the pasar malam. Besides being valued for their convenience and vibrant atmosphere, they also offer glimpses into our everyday habits. How do small actions by members of the public—many of which are equally common at festivals and other occasions for public gathering—reflect our environmental awareness (or lack thereof), and how can greater responsibility for these shared spaces be encouraged?
WHAT A PASAR MALAM REVEALS
As the evening progresses, signs of a busy pasar malam become increasingly visible. Used skewers, drink cups, tissues and plastic food containers begin appearing along walkways and beside stalls, even when rubbish bins are not far away. By the time the market closes, stall operators and cleaning workers are often left responsible for restoring the site’s cleanliness. Mean-while, smaller items such as cigarette butts are frequently overlooked. Discarded along pavements and walkways after use, they may appear insignificant, but still reflect our wider tendency to overlook the consequences of small actions in shared spaces.
Penang’s local authorities have not been passive in dealing with the cleanliness of public spaces. The Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP, City Council of Penang Island) organised a “Pasar Awam Bersih” (Clean Public Markets) campaign in July, which reflected ongoing efforts to keep public areas clean through community participation and coordinated cleaning. Such efforts are important for restoring shared spaces, but they also raise another question: how can less waste be left behind in the first place?
A pasar malam’s waste problem is the result of many small decisions repeated over the evening. These behaviours are not unique to night markets; similar patterns can be observed along roadsides and in neighbourhood parks, recreational areas and residential areas. The pasar malam simply makes them more apparent because of the concentration of people and activities in a limited space on a distinct schedule.
At its core, this issue reflects a particular under-standing of our relationship with shared environments. While some may assume that any waste left behind will eventually be managed by cleaners or local authorities, others may simply be unaware of where that waste goes or its consequences. Once discarded, rubbish does not simply disappear. It can become a lost resource, or else enter drainage systems and contribute to wider environmental problems.
FROM NIGHT MARKETS AND INTO WATERWAYS
Waste generated at pasar malam is not necessarily without value. A 2015 study examining night markets in Seberang Perai Selatan found that discarded mate-rials contained significant amounts of recyclable and biodegradable waste. Across all nine locations surveyed, the total value of recoverable recyclable items was estimated at RM104 per day.[1] More critically, these recyclables made up less than 10% of the total waste generated; the remaining 80–90% consisted of biodegradable materials. This means that while some economic value exists in pasar malam waste, the vast majority—such as organics that could have been com-posted—ends up in landfills, or worse, enters drain-age systems when improperly discarded. Oftentimes, however, potentially valuable materials are discarded carelessly, mixed with general waste or thrown into unsuitable locations. Recovery becomes significantly more difficult when these resources are sent to landfills, while improperly discarded waste creates additional environmental challenges.
Beyond the waste left behind by visitors, hawker stalls and food businesses also generate food scraps, wastewater, oil and grease as part of their daily oper-ations. These may be improperly discharged directly into drainage systems. Consequently, they can con-tribute to clogged drains, unpleasant odours and water pollution. The impact of poorly managed waste also extends beyond the immediate surroundings of a pasar malam. Litter carried away by rainwater into drainage systems may eventually enter rivers and coastal areas, through the infrastructure designed to manage urban water flow. Here, Malaysia’s river conditions demonstrate how everyday disposal habits fuel larger environ-mental issues. The continued presence of polluted and moderately polluted rivers nationwide highlights the importance of preventing waste from entering water-ways in the first place.[2]
While not unique to pasar malam alone, these challenges highlight the wider environmental considerations involved in maintaining food-based pub-lic spaces. Ultimately, the issue is not only how much waste we generate, but also how we view and manage it. After all, waste collectively shapes the conditions of our shared environments.
SMALL ACTIONS, SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
In Penang, stricter enforcement measures introduced in 2026 include the use of body cameras by local enforce-ment officers from MBPP and Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai (MBSP, City Council of Seberang Perai), alongside community service orders for minor littering offences. Those convicted may face fines of up to RM2,000 or be required to perform up to 12 hours of community ser-vice, including cleaning public spaces such as drains, markets, beaches and hawker centres.[3] The state is also taking a phased approach to reducing single-use plastics. From this month onwards, selected premises will be prohibited from providing single-use plastic bags. 55,000 reusable tote bags have been distributed and three ReBag Stations established across Penang to encourage the reuse of shopping bags. The initiative will also standardise the prohibition of plastic straws across MBPP’s and MBSP’s respective jurisdictions.[4]
Similar yet distinct approaches can be seen in night markets elsewhere. In Taiwan, improvement efforts go beyond encouraging visitors to dispose of waste properly, but also include initiatives such as pro-moting reusable utensils, offering incentives for cus-tomers with their own containers, providing reusable container rental services, improving waste separation and recycling facilities as well as helping food vendors better manage oil and wastewater.[5] Environmental responsibility is not created solely through enforcement or punishment alone, but when responsible choices are made accessible, encouraged and practised consistently.
Ultimately, a pasar malam’s condition after clos-ing hours reflects how a community values its shared spaces. As places where people gather, connect and experience everyday life, their preservation requires not only enjoying the offerings, but also considering what is left behind afterwards.
ENDNOTES
- Kamaruddin, M.A., et al. (2015). Waste to Wealth: Recovery of Recyclable Items and Biodegradable Wastes from Night Markets
at Seberang Perai Selatan, Penang. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 802, 543–48. This study valued recyclable items at the following scrap-dealer prices: paper at RM0.30 per kilogramme (kg), plastic (PET) at RM0.90/kg, plastic
(LDPE) at RM0.80/kg and aluminium at RM0.70/kg. The RM104 total represents a substantial physical volume—for example, over 75kg of LDPE plastic or nearly 350kg of paper—yet this still accounted for less than 10% of total waste generated across nine sampling locations district-wide. - Ragananthini Vethasalam & Gimino, G. (2026, Feb 5). Targeting cleaner rivers. The Star. Despite falling behind the government’s target of achieving 80% clean rivers, most rivers studied maintained an acceptable classification in 2023.
- Chern, L.T. (2026, May 19). Crackdown on littering as bodycams roll out in Penang. The Star.
- Imran Hilmy (2026, May 14). Single-use plastic bags ban to be enforced at selected premises, says Penang exco member. The Star.
- Ministry of Environment. (2023, May 4). Making Night Markets Greener.
