Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on May 16, 2022 - May 22, 2022

Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) conducted a survey on recycling last year and discovered that over 55% of its respondents were uninformed about recycling methods. At the same time, members of the ZWM online community often had many questions about what can and cannot be recycled.

“Based on the questions and discussions on our 41,000-member-strong Facebook community group, we knew that there was confusion about recycling in Malaysia, but we were surprised to see the statistics. We just knew we had to do something to progress as a nation,” says ZWM co-founder Khor Sue Yee. 

ZWM also wanted to highlight that while there are environmental benefits to recycling, it is a costly process and not all plastic items are accepted by recyclers. 

According to a study by Khazanah Research Institute, only three types of plastic — Types 1, 2 and 5 — are commonly recycled in Malaysia.

Type 1 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE), which is mostly used for mineral water bottles and cookie jars. Type 2 is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is used for milk containers, buckets and shampoo bottles. Meanwhile, Type 5 is polypropylene (PP), which is commonly used for disposable food containers and bottle caps.

The insatiable consumer demand for cheap goods also spurs producers to manufacture materials at lower prices, Khor adds, resulting in lower demand for recycled products that are generally more expensive than raw materials.

As a result, ZWM decided to produce a “trash encyclopaedia”, also known as the Trashpedia, to educate the public on the recyclability of 101 commonly used household items and offer zero waste alternatives. It also provides information on where consumers can send recyclable goods to in Malaysia.

For instance, pizza boxes can be recycled if they are not greasy. Consumers can tear off the greasy cardboard pieces to be composted and recycle the rest. The zero waste alternative is to bring your own container to take out pizza or host a do-it-yourself pizza party at home.

This resource can help businesses improve their environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices as well, says Khor. It highlights zero waste options for office and business items, including lanyards, receipts, printer ink cartridges and packaging. The Zero Waste Office Handbook, also published by ZWM, offers similar information. 

“We are a big believer in working with businesses to create lasting change. The sentiment around ESG will only grow stronger with time. Corporates can’t ignore it, but some of them are looking for guidance on where to start. That’s where our corporate engagement programmes and resources come in,” says Khor.

ZWM has hosted zero waste and environmental talks, workshops and internal zero waste programmes for companies. For instance, its 7 Day Zero Waste Challenge requires employees to tackle a few zero waste actions in a week. So far, ZWM has run this programme successfully for three organisations, reaching around 7,000 employees.

“For companies that are committed to really building sustainability within their workplace, we have introduced a longer-term project called the Corporate Transformation Programme (CTP),” says Jasreel Lim, head of finance and business development at ZWM.

The CTP is a programme, running from six months to two years, that delves into each company’s needs and how ZWM can help them achieve their existing ESG goals. This includes reducing office waste, educating employees and supporting the development of long-term zero waste habits.

In addition, ZWM has formulated a nationwide endorsement programme called the Zero Waste Pledge to recognise businesses that utilise resources efficiently and minimise waste throughout their operations.

Other than the Trashpedia, ZWM has published an array of free resources for different users. Among these are the MY Zero Waste Life Handbook, which is a beginner’s guide to all things zero waste; the Zero Waste Event Handbook, which is a guide to organising sustainable events; and the ZWM Lesson Plan, which is designed for children aged 11 to 17. Most of these resources are available in the Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil languages.

ZWM has also included government engagement in its portfolio. For instance, it is working with the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) on the Malaysian Plastic Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030.

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