Muhammad Imran weighing a bag of recyclables at the Perita recycling centre in Taman Impian Emas, Johor Baru.
A neighbourhood-led recycling centre in Iskandar Puteri is quietly making an impact, having collected nearly 20 tonnes of recyclable materials since it was launched almost four years ago.
The Community Recycling Centre under Impian Utara 6B Residents Association (Perita) has become a key part of daily life for Taman Impian Emas residents, offering a convenient way to manage waste and contribute to sustainability.
Its recycling committee chairperson Muhammad Imran Ismail said the centre was part of a wider movement to empower residents to manage recyclable waste at a time that suited them.
Established in October 2021 through funding from the Iskandar Puteri Low Carbon Community Grant 1.0, the centre started with regular awareness campaigns to get residents on board with the idea of sorting recyclables at home before disposal.
“The initiative is guided by local academics who also reside in the area, forming a close-knit partnership with Perita,” he said.
Muhammad Imran said the recycling centre had collected 19,967kg of recyclable items, including paper, aluminium cans, glass bottles, plastics and e-waste.
He said this had generated an income of RM9,577, which was used to support centre operations and community programmes in the area.
In addition, he said the centre had collected 660 litres of used cooking oil, equivalent to RM1,077.
“Community response has been overwhelmingly positive, with many residents requesting expanded facilities, such as specific stations for electronic waste and workshops for upcycling old items into useful products,” he added.
Muhammad Imran said based on its records, paper-based materials accounted for 59.4% of all items collected, making it the top category.
He said this included boxes, newspapers, coloured paper, and books while plastic accounted for 13%, glass bottles 10%, scrap metal 7.6%, e-waste 6.6% and used cooking oil 3.4%.
“Revenue from recycling is primarily used to cover operational costs and maintenance of the centre.
“Any surplus funds are channelled into the Perita community fund, which benefits all residents.
“While there is no fixed allocation for the proceeds, the funds have allowed us to organise community events like Malaysia Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival,” he said.
Muhammad Imran said these events helped to strengthen neighbourhood bonds while promoting sustainability and collective responsibility.
He said the association planned to explore more upcycling workshops and expand recycling categories in response to residents’ feedback and growing environmental awareness.
