SJKC Cheah Fah students putting plastic bottles in the bin at the launch of the Recycle Day at the school in Bandar Sunway, Iskandar Puteri. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
A YEARLY 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) programme by SWM Environment Sdn Bhd has seen an average increase of 10% in the amount of items collected.
Its general manager Mohd Norlisam Mohd Nordin said 469,647kg of recycled items were collected by 3R Troopers as of November.
“We are seeing an average 10% increase in the collected items yearly,’’ he said when met after the launch of the Johor Baru district-level National Recycle Day programme at SJKC Cheah Fah, Bandar Sunway, Iskandar Puteri.
The event was launched by Iskandar Puteri City Council urban and rural planning officer Safwan Sahari on behalf of mayor Datuk Haffiz Ahmad.
Norlisam said between 500 and 600 tonnes of recyclables were collected monthly from schools, government offices and neighbourhoods.
He said the areas involved included Johor Baru, Iskandar Puteri, Pasir Gudang, Pontian, Kota Tinggi, Mersing, Kluang and Simpang Renggam.
“We have three lorries to collect these recyclables,’’ said Norlisam, adding paper topped the list, followed by plastics and metal waste.
On another matter, he said SWM Environment would be replacing wheelie bins in stages for residential properties in Johor.
Norlisam said the wheelie bins were introduced in 2011, and had an average life span of 10 years.
Norlisam said SWM Environment would actively promote environment-related programmes such as separation at source and food waste composting to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
Earlier, 16 schools from Iskandar Puteri received a set of three recycle bins for plastic, paper and other types of waste from the company as part of its communication, education and public awareness outreach. — By ZAZALI MUSA
