(From left) Nestlé (M) Bhd corporate affairs executive director Datuk Adnan Pawanteh, Aranols, Zarwazi and Kampung Sungai Kandis MPKK representative Muhammad Hashim at the Kita Recycle (KitaR) launch. Right: Aranols (far right) showing the transport used for the weekly door-to-door collection of recyclables.
RAMPING up its ongoing efforts to shape a waste-free Malaysia, Nestlé Malaysia has expanded its community recycling initiative with the launch of its Kita Recycle (KitaR) programme.
Complementing the company’s existing door-to-door collection and recycling programme, KitaR is aimed at enhancing waste management and improving collection and recycling of plastic waste among rural communities.
Nestlé (M) Bhd chief executive officer Juan Aranols said the food and beverage manufacturing company is committed to bringing positive societal changes, including a more sustainable future for all.
“Chief among these efforts are steps to raise environmental awareness and empower communities to better manage waste.
“We have made significant progress in our initiative to organise collection, separation at source and recycling and have reached 112,000 households across Klang Valley, well ahead of our initial target of 100,000 households by the end of 2022.”
He said KitaR was a platform to help improve waste separation and collection at source in rural areas, as reaching all facets of society was key to improving the recycling rate in Malaysia.
“We look forward to further expanding our recycling programmes to more rural communities in the future.
“We have started in Shah Alam and based on the pilot, we will scale the programme in the year ahead,” added Aranols.
In collaboration with Shah Alam City Council (MBSA), KPT Recycle Sdn Bhd and Kampung Sungai Kandis Village Development and Security Council (MPKK), the programme kicked off in Kampung Sungai Kandis, Shah Alam, in December last year.
This followed the conclusion of an eight-week pilot phase, which saw 251kg of recyclables collected from 124 households in Kampung Sungai Kandis and 750 households in Kampung Jalan Kebun, Shah Alam.
The programme has been expanded to include all 1,600 households in Kampung Sungai Kandis, with weekly door-to-door collection of recyclables taking place on Saturdays and Sundays using tri-wheeled motorcycles fitted with goods carrier.
MBSA’s Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department director T.S. Mohd Azmi Amir Khan said the city council was eager to work with other parties to address collection challenges in rural and suburban areas of Shah Alam.
“Collaborating with stakeholders enables us to improve access to recycling for all segments of society, in order to inculcate better responsible waste management habits.”
Kampung Sungai Kandis village head Zarwazi Khatib said the roads were too small to accommodate large collection vehicles and communal bins also needed to be placed on main roads.
“This door-to-door collection service will certainly make it easier for the villagers to dispose of their waste responsibly, and I am hopeful that it will motivate them to make recycling part of their lives,” said Zarwazi.
KitaR is one of five voluntary “Extended Producer Responsibility” initiatives spearheaded by Nestlé Malaysia under its Project Save, which aims to establish a viable circular economy model for post-consumer packaging, in line with its commitment to ensure that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfills or as litter.
Since 2020, Nestlé Malaysia has collected 7,000 tonnes of post-consumer packaging waste through its plastic neutrality initiatives under the project, including the Klang River Plastic Collection programme and CARETon Project.
