Can We Discern Halal Rubbish?

 

Halal rubbish? That’s something Selangor wants to do! Not even PAS has suggested that! 

I am not insulting halal standards. Shopping malls in Selangor must now separate halal rubbish from non-halal rubbish or food waste. Garbage is garbage. Leftover food is meant to be recycled into fertilisers. They are broken down by bacteria and fungi to become rich compost. The only possible reason for separate bins is if we want to create “halal fertilisers”. If so, is the soil where food is grown halal? What if a wild boar from the nearby forest pees on it? Frogs and snakes are also haram. What if these hop or slither across the soil?

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Back in 2012, fast-food chain A&W rebranded its “Coney Dog” and “Root Beer” to “Chicken Coney” and “RB” as the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) deemed that certain words would “confuse” Muslims. Yet A&W had been in Malaysia since 1963, and Muslims drank root beer for over 50 years, knowing full well it had nothing intoxicating, except too much sugar. In fact, the Malay dessert of fermented tapioca, or tapai, probably has more alcohol. 

In 2017, a “halal laundry” in Muar refused to serve non-Muslims. Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, as the head of state of Islamic matters, called this “extreme” and a “narrow mindset”. He pointed out that ringgit notes may have also come in contact with pork or liquor.

Malaysians generate around 8.3 million metric tonnes of food waste annually, or roughly 260kg per person. Food waste makes up 40 percent to 45 percent of all daily waste sent to landfills. 

Halal is supposed to mean compliance with Islamic principles of hygiene. But what about halal restaurants that are dirty? Or halal food packed with harmful preservatives and nitrates? Are we getting bogged down in micro details while missing the big picture? 

Former minister Rafidah Aziz said in 2024 that authorities should focus on combating corruption, which was “non-halal money”, instead of “causing inconvenience” by enforcing rigid halal rules. Rather than getting fixated about halal garbage, we should examine if politicians, top civil servants, plus corporate/GLC leaders got their wealth in halal or haram ways. 

The biggest threats to Muslims and Malaysians are the 3Rs of “rempit, rokok, rasuah” - reckless motorcyclists, smoking, and corruption. 

These 3Rs are what really harm lives, health, and society - not the other R - a lack of halal rubbish bins. Please focus on real issues – cost of living, inflation, job creation, corruption, education and health services, not some outward appearance while the inside is rotten or dead! 

Reference:

COMMENT | Can trash be halal?, Andrew Sia, Malaysiakini, 22 June 2026