Public involvement in separating waste vital for a greener Malaysia

Malarvanan standing in front of a mound of aluminium cans at his scrap metal yard in Taman Cheras Jaya.

THE public needs to play a bigger role to enable the Government to take recycling efforts to the next level.

Through concerted efforts to recycle, the cost incurred on processing waste and maintenance of the landfills can significantly reduce the Government’s financial burden.

Malaysian Indian Metal Traders and Recyclers Association is urging the public to adopt the habit of separating domestic waste from recyclables.

Its honorary secretary Datuk V. Malarvanan said from its observation, a substantial amount of domestic waste thrown out by the public were recyclables.

He said up to 50% of the domestic waste contained recyclables such as metal, plastic, paper and glass.

“We are not just throwing garbage but money out of the window.

“We can help to boost the country’s economy by separating recyclable waste by turning them into money,” he said.

Malarvanan said it was time the public played a role in environment conservation as well as helping the Government in its recycling efforts.

He said the public must start separating domestic waste by putting aside recyclables like used batteries, broken glass, paper and plastics.

These items should not be disposed with domestic waste, he said.The practise of waste separation, Malarvanan said would create a chain effect in the long run for both the Government and the public with regards to the environment and economy.

Recyclables disposed of as domestic waste can be turned into something useful and sold for a profit.

Those who practised recycling would be able to benefit monetarily by selling recyclables to recycling centres.

“It is not difficult to find buyers for recyclables as there are many recycling centres around,” he said.

This way, the Government would be able to reduce its expenditure on looking for areas to set up landfills as well as maintaining them especially in the Klang Valley where there is a shortage of land, Malarvanan said.

“The Government should also hold more campaigns to educate the public on the need to recycle waste,” he said.

Malarvanan said there was an increase in the amount of recyclables disposed by the public compared to the past, based on feedback from the association’s more than 400 members.

He said residents could sell unwanted items to those who collect them from households in residential areas.

“Some even send the items directly to recycling centres,” he said.

Malarvanan said while the Government was supportive of the scrap metal industry, the biggest challenge faced was lack of workers.

“We need foreign workers to do the job of segregating items as well as crane operators and manual workers. Even those in the recycling business need workers too.

“The association has been holding a series of discussion with the Human Resources Ministry, and we hope the issue will be resolved soon,” he said.