Phang (seated right) signing the LOA with Norhalizam (seated left) while (standing from left) Ismadi, Dr Zaliha and Ramlee look on.
SEVENTEEN shopping centres in Kuala Lumpur have committed to a 60% reduction in the waste sent to landfills through their participation in the Zero Waste Campaign for malls.
The campaign by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) is in partnership with the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPKM) to enhance the city’s environmental sustainability and improve solid waste management.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the campaign builds upon the Kuala Lumpur Zero Waste Roadmap.
“A total of 17 malls have registered with us. I hope more will follow suit,” she said in a press conference, noting that Kuala Lumpur generated about 2,000 tonnes of waste daily.
Dr Zaliha commended MyTown Shopping Centre, where the campaign was launched, for its success in reducing solid waste sent to landfills within a year, urging the company to share best practices with other malls.
She added that the campaign would be expanded to Ramadan bazaars, encouraging visitors to use reusable bags and containers.
This, she said, would also promote a reduction in plastic use among the public.
The launch event included the signing of a Letter of Action (LOA) between DBKL and PPKM, cementing their commitment to the initiative.
Certificates were also presented to malls that had implemented zero-waste programmes.
PPKM president Phang Sau Lian highlighted the collaboration between DBKL and the malls in driving green practices and supporting the Zero Waste 2040 goal.
She said PPKM has long advocated for sustainability nationwide, having introduced the Top Sustainability Award to recognise member malls’ efforts.
Phang noted most malls track the amount of recyclables to determine how much was diverted from landfills.
She cited Sunway Velocity Mall as an example, which has deployed food-digester technology to convert food waste into safe grey water.
Participating malls include Plaza Low Yat, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Sungei Wang Plaza, Eko Cheras Mall, Sunway Putra Mall, The Exchange TRX, Lalaport and four Aeon Malls, among others.
Also present at the event in Kuala Lumpur were DBKL Socioeconomic Development executive director Ismadi Sakirin, DBKL Health and Environment Department senior deputy director Dr Norhalizam Ismail and Federal Territories Department deputy director Datuk Ramlee Yatim.
