PJ folk called on to make ecobricks

Ecobricks are created by stuffing used plastic bags into plastic bottles.

PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is calling on city denizens to create 10,000 ecobricks to be turned into building blocks for a new recycling centre at Kompleks C in Section 52.

Under a “buy back” scheme, the local council will pay RM1 for each 500g ecobrick that is created from 1.5litre bottles.

MBPJ deputy president Sharipah Marhaini Syed Ali said the pilot project was in conjunction with MBPJ’s 15th anniversary since it was declared a city.

“From 2006, we have been working towards becoming a sustainable city by 2030, with a focus on several fields including environment, circular economy and good governance.

“This programme is one of the ways we hope to involve residents and get them to participate in the development of the city,” she said during the virtual launch of the Eco Brick-Making for Value-Creating programme.

During the event, Impact Revolution Enterprise programme director Mohd Faisal Abdur Rani guided participants on how to make their own ecobricks.

“Ecobricks are plastic bottles packed tightly with clean and dry, non-biodegradable waste.

“These bottles can then be used as building materials to create walls or outdoor furniture.

“These bricks are essentially made using plastic bottles that cannot be recycled.”

He said while this should not be seen as a way of using more plastics, it could act as a deterrent in the long run.

“As you accumulate all the plastic that is used daily to be used in making the bricks, it can become an indicator of our plastic usage,” he pointed out.

Also present during the launch was Petaling Jaya Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department director Lee Lih Shyan.