Landfill disposal in Malaysia is charged by the tonne. At the Jeram landfill in Kuala Selangor, the published council tipping fee is RM43 a tonne. A tipping fee is what a landfill charges for each tonne a lorry unloads. A business pays more. Our partner collectors are charged from RM95.50 a tonne for commercial waste, and we pass that on at cost. Transport is extra. Separated metal, cardboard and plastic earn money back instead. Here is the comparison.
This guide covers cost only. For the rules, disposal options and reporting, start with our guide to waste management in Malaysia.
Landfill costs a business more than the published fee
| Charge | Rate per tonne | Whose rate it is |
|---|---|---|
| Published council tipping fee | RM43 | Jeram and Tanjung Duabelas sanitary landfills, since 1 July 2023. It was RM36 before |
| Disposal, as charged to a business | From RM95.50 | The rate our partner collectors are charged at Jeram, passed on at cost |
| Transport | Charged per trip, not per tonne | Set by distance and bin type |
The RM43 fee is set by Selangor State Executive Council decision MMKN 17/2023. It is the council's fee, not the price on a business invoice. The RM95.50 is the rate we pass on, not a published price. A sanitary landfill is lined, and captures the polluted liquid and gas from the waste.
Heavier, mixed waste means more trips. Our commercial waste collection cost guide shows how the transport part of the bill moves.
The published fee also has a rise written in. The Jeram contract provides for a 5% increase every three years. That clause belongs to the council fee, not to the RM95.50 rate. For where landfill capacity and cost are heading, see our guide to landfills in Malaysia.
Landfill also costs you things the invoice does not show. Staff spend time chasing tickets and schedules. Bins take up space. Disposal records are kept on file for audits.
You can work out your own net cost with this worksheet
Fill it in for one month, twice: as things are today, and with your recyclables separated.
| Line | Today | With recyclables separated |
|---|---|---|
| A. Tonnes sent to landfill | ____ t | ____ t |
| B. Disposal rate per tonne | RM ____ | RM ____ |
| C. Transport for the month | RM ____ | RM ____ |
| D. Landfill cost: A × B, plus C | RM ____ | RM ____ |
| E. Rebate: kilograms of each material × its rate × your share | RM ____ | RM ____ |
| F. Net waste cost: D minus E | RM ____ | RM ____ |
Lines A to C come from your weight tickets and invoices. If you have no weights yet, start with a waste audit. In the second column, line A falls by every tonne you separate.
Line E is your rebate: your share of what recyclers pay for your separated recyclables. For line E, take each rate from the indicative ranges in our recycling rebate guide. They are ranges, not quotes. Use the low end if your material is mixed or wet. Your share is the split your collector agrees to in writing.
The gap between the two figures on line F is what separating is worth to you each month.
A real year shows how far line A can move. At Signature Market, a Malaysian e-commerce company, 68.598 of the 93.09 tonnes generated in 2025 stayed out of landfill. That is 73.69%, mostly carton. Diverting recyclables from landfill cut its disposal costs by 70%. It is one site's record, not a forecast. What you can separate depends on what is in your bins.
Recycling adds a rebate on top of the disposal cost you avoid
A tonne you separate helps twice. You stop paying disposal on it. And the material has a market price.
Most businesses never see that money, for one of two reasons. A general collector takes everything to the landfill in one pickup, so nothing is sold. Or a recycler sells your separated material and keeps the revenue.
A rebate share fixes the second case. Through Recycle Solutions, collectors in our licensed partner network pick up the recyclables you separate at source. We share the material rebate back to you, usually as a credit on your invoice.
Two things are worth saying plainly. Scrap prices follow global markets, so nobody can promise a fixed price a year out. And not everything is recycled. Your general waste still goes to landfill, compliantly, with every pickup documented.
If you would rather have one partner for collection, recycling and reporting, see how total waste management works across your sites. The longer argument for separating is in our business case for waste diversion.
We can run these numbers on your own waste
Send us your monthly tonnage and what you pay now. Book a consultation and we start with a free waste audit, then show you where the rebate is. For a one-off clear-out, see our RORO bin rental options.
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