While staying home during the Movement Control order, you’ve probably done some spring cleaning at least once or twice and found some items that you no longer have any use for. If your original plan was to just toss them in the trash, you might want to reconsider!
You can recycle or donate those items and save the environment at the same time! Twitter’s resident environmentalist @sunfloweraidil, posted a really informative thread on various locations you can recycle or donate old items, and perhaps earn some extra cash!
1. E-Waste Management
E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their “useful life.” This includes old phones, desktops, television sets, personal computers (PC), air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators and the like.
If you have e-waste that you want to get rid off, Malaysia’s Environmental Department has an e-waste website which you can visit to find out the nearest area around you to donate your e-waste.
The Department of Environment (DOE) wrote that “the Government of Malaysia is now in the progress of establishing a proper management system particularly on household E-waste, with a legal framework that aims to regulate relevant stakeholders in the entire flow of household E-waste management from generation to disposal.”
“This proposed framework aims to achieve a sustainable and environmentally sound management system for household E-waste in a long run.”
On the other hand, if you decide to hold on to your e-waste, they should be managed properly to avoid causing any damage to human health and the environment. For example, a Printed Circuit Board that’s used in various electronic appliances contains toxic substances such as lead and cadmium which can cause brain damage.
2. Kloth Bins
Let’s be honest, you don’t need EVERYTHING in your closet right now. Why not donate them or even recycle them? It’s estimated that Malaysians throw out about 2,000 tonnes of textile waste daily!
Instead of throwing them away, why not donate them to Kloth Cares. Formed and founded on the 11th of December 2013, Kloth Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. is a Malaysian social entrepreneurship movement for keeping fabrics and plastics away from landfills through the circular economy business model.
Currently, they have bins located in the Klang Valley, Negeri Sembilan and Melaka which can be found here.
Here’s a little diagram of what happens to unwanted fabrics at Kloth Cares:
3. IPC Recycling & Buy-back Centre
Can you imagine throwing out rubbish and getting paid? Isn’t that the dream? At IPC Shopping Centre, you can bring recyclable items like cardboard, magazines, plastic, metal, etc. and be rewarded cash if the waste weighs a minimum of 1kg!
Their buyback rates are as such:
- Cardboard = RM0.20/kg
- Magazines = RM0.20/kg
- Newspaper = RM0.20/kg
- Plastic = RM0.10/kg
- Tin/Metal = RM0.20/kg
- Aluminium = RM2.50/kg
They also collect your out-of-life mercury content light bulbs (also known as CFL – Compact Fluorescent Lamp), fluorescent tubes and batteries which are often quite a hassle to dispose of.
Collected CFLs are processed using The Bulb Eater Machine and are sent to the waste management company – Kualiti Alam, for proper disposal.
IPC Shopping Centre is located in Damansara and is open from 10am to 6pm daily.
3. L’Occitane Recycling Program
If you’re an avid user of makeup, take a quick look at your dressing table and count the amount of empty tubes you have. As Asians, we’re wired to squeeze EVERY bit of product out before disposing of the bottle, but when it’s gotta go, it’s gotta go.
L’Occitane collects ANY empty skincare/beauty containers and recycles it into new products in their collaboration with iCycle. Not only will you be saving the environment, but you’ll also get some amazing rewards as shown below!
Visit any nearest L’Occitane branch nearest to you and bring the bottles that have been cleaned and dried. You will receive one stamp for every empty, full-sized bottle.
4. SENHENG e-Waste recycling program
Besides the e-waste initiative by Malaysia’s environmental department, SENHENG also accepts your electronic items that don’t work anymore.
If you bring items listed in the two categories, you’ll even be rewarded with a cash voucher! If your items are too big (washing machine, refrigerator, TV etc), the store even arranges for free collection right at your doorstep. Find out more about this wonderful initiative here.
5. Yellow Bins Movement
If you’re based in Johor, you can find over 300 yellow bins where you can send recyclable items like clothes, paper, plastic and metals!
Locate the nearest Yellow Bin to you here and schedule a pickup of your items here.
Johoreans, what are you waiting for??
6. Taman Suria Recycle Centre
Sabahans, you’re not forgotten at all. The Taman Suria Recycle centre, which is Kota Kinabalu’s first recycling centre, allows you to drop off any household or business recyclable materials you have! The centre is open from Monday to Friday.
Here are some other centres in Sabah you can check out!
hey sabahans, here is a list of recycling centres i’ve found!
• GNC Recycle
• J&S Recycle Resources
• Tzu Chih Recyling Centres in Taman Suria & Kolombong
• Ripple (glass only), Jalan Teluk Likas
• Mr. Chen Yee (unused oil only) – 0168472938
• Madam Foong – 0168311661— freyr (@sunfloweraidil) May 31, 2020
7. Dinkargo Recycle Kuching
Dinkargo Recycling Centre is an establishment that has been around since 1991 and allows you to trade your paper, metal and bottle waste to cash. They also provide disposal solutions as per request!
“Our principal activities are recycling and reclamation of Ferrous and Non Ferrous Metals, Plastics, Papers, and other waste & scrap that can be recycled,” they said in their website.
And if you’re based in Sarawak, why not check these other recycling centres.
hey sarawakians, here’s a list of recycling centres that i’ve found so far!
• Eye 1 Recycle, Miri
• Atas Sepakat Recycling Centre, Kuching
• Tzu Chih Recycling Centre, Sibu
• Dinkargo Recycle, Kuching
• Miri Red Crescent 3R Centre
• Triple-C Recycle, Kuching— freyr (@sunfloweraidil) June 3, 2020
If you have any other enquiries, check out Google Maps for more in-depth locations of where you can dispose or donate different types of waste products.
This may sound a little cliche but hear it again, WE HAVE ONLY ONE EARTH. It’s up to us to care for it and do our part to save it. Take the time you spend in your house to separate unused and unwanted stuff to be sent for recycling.
Also read: Yeo Bee Yin Personally Leads Raid On Illegal Plastic-Recycling Factory, M’sians Impressed!
