Malaysia aims for a circular economy

Malaysia aims to achieve the goals of a circular economy and this move could provide $4.5 trillion worth of opportunities in the next 20 years for businesses engaged in recycling, reuse and waste reduction. In this aspect, the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association (MPMA) has taken decisive steps to spearhead the drive. 

 

In a conference on the topic of achieving a circular economy, it was noted that wastes and other by products as well as unwanted good take a different role as they become raw materials for new production cycles. With resources being maximised by channeling the waste materials back into the production cycle as raw materials, the production process can close the loop of product manufacturing and waste management. Irnis Azura Zakarya, an expert on waste management and senior lecturer at the Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) explained that for Malaysia to be able to achive or practice a circular economy, the government, through its agencies, must be able to support the idea and implement effective and efficient recycling and waste management practices. Added to this effort is the concerted moves of business establishments, schools, universities and other organisations to form “green squads” to implement strategies related to protecting the environment.  

 

 

MPMA has also been able to gather all stakeholders along the plastics supply chain to work towards achieving a circular economy within the industry. MPMA President Lim Kok Boon said during the MPMA-ExxonMobil Eco-Park Innovation Challenge Camp that plastics can serve functional purposes for consumers but any materials can present a problem to the environment if not properly discarded.   

    

Pushing for recycling

Malaysia’s recycling rate is still way below the government’s target despite growing awareness on the impact of plastic wastes to the environment. In 2016, the recycling rate was only 17.5%, below government target of 22% solid recycling rate by 2020.

 

Some companies have embarked on a mission to improve the recycling rate. One start-up, Klean Malaysia Sdn Bhd, founded by Datuk Dr Nick Boden and Datuk Mohamad Arif Abdullah, has developed a unique reverse vending machine (RVM) that accepts used and empty polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and aluminium cans in exchange for non-cash rewards. The project pegs value to every single-use plastic bottle and aluminium can and pays recyclers in Kleans — a virtual currency and e-credit which can be used to purchase goods and services such as mobile airtime, smartcard credit (such as Touch ‘n Go), nano gold and food vouchers.

 

In an interview, Dr. Boden believes that this approach can turn Malaysia into a sustainable circular economy, by focusing on the most common sources of pollution — PET bottles and aluminium cans. He estimates that there are about 10 billion PET bottles sold annually in the country and only 20% of them are recycled.

 

Klean is a wholly Malaysian company and proud of its achievements so far. The RVM, digital wallet and app are Malaysian designs and intellectual property, owned by a local technology start-up, which is quite rare as the local company designs and produces the machines instead of buying them outside the country. The latest prototype of the RVM has an aperture that allows users to insert one container at a time. Once they have been scanned and identified, the containers are processed and crushed. The machine allows users to tap their cards and collect points also known as Kleans (100 Kleans = RM1), which are reflected in the digital wallet on its mobile app. Users can see how many Kleans they have accumulated on the vandal-proof screen as well as the app. The machine also uses GPS to allow the app to detect the locations of the RVMs.