(From left) Trash4Cash chief executive officer Shafreez Redza Mohd Saiful Anuar, Coca-Cola Malaysia PACS West Franchise Operation director Triyono Prijosoesilo, Aeon Malaysia chief human resources and sustainability officer Dr Kasuma Satria Mat Jadi and Hiroyuki Industries executive director Lionel Choong at the launch of the ‘Recycle Me!’ campaign. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/the Star
Coca-Cola Malaysia teams up with Aeon Malaysia, Hiroyuki Industries and Trash4Cash for Recycle Me! campaign
COCA-COLA Malaysia, in collaboration with Aeon Malaysia, Hiroyuki Industries, and Trash4Cash, has launched the Recycle Me! campaign, an initiative aimed at promoting plastic recycling and the circular economy across various states in Malaysia.
Building on the success of last year's Recycling Fantastic campaign, this new campaign seeks to encourage and reward Malaysians for their efforts in recycling plastic bottles.
Within the context of Malaysia's budding circular economy, the campaign aims to educate the public about the recyclability of different plastic materials and encourage their proper disposal.
Plastics in Malaysia
Commonly recycled plastics include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is usually used in beverage bottles; and high-density polyethylene (HDPE), found in containers for household products and packaging. Additionally, low-density polyethylene (LDPE), used in plastic bags and films, and polypropylene (PP), found in food containers and packaging, are also recyclable to a certain degree.
These plastics can be processed and transformed into new products, reducing the demand for virgin materials and minimising waste generation. By embracing the recycling of these plastic types, Malaysia is poised to unlock the economic potential of 1.7 million tonnes of discarded plastics, tapping into a potential economic value of US$1.3bil — a figure estimated by the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) ministry.
Decoupling economic value from our waste will be crucial in transitioning to a viable circular economy as our municipal solid waste (MSW) generation is estimated at 13 million tonnes annually, with plastic making up 20% of MSW.
Coca-Cola Malaysia PACS West Franchise Operation director Triyono Prijosoesilo said the company’s World Without Waste initiative focuses on three key areas: design, collect and partner.
To tackle this, the government had made it compulsory for several states to separate their waste at source under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), through the Separation at Source (SAS) initiative back in Sept 2015.
In a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “Malaysia has a relatively high rate of waste collection coverage, estimated at approximately 95% of waste”.
However, the report also found that while waste separation at source is mandatory through the SAS, “there still appears to be limited traction amongst the public, with one estimate suggesting that less than 50% of plastic waste had been recycled.”
The report highlighted that our “plastic waste recycling rate is estimated at 20%, with a higher rate of recycling for high-value plastics (such as HDPE, PET, PP) and no systematic recycling of low-value plastics”.
A larger commitment
This Recycle Me! campaign serves as a crucial component of Coca-Cola Malaysia's ongoing commitment to achieving packaging circularity and reducing plastic waste.
In alignment with The Coca-Cola Company's global World Without Waste vision, the campaign aims to collect and recycle every bottle and can sold by 2030.
Scheduled to run from Dec 14 this year to Feb 29 next year, the campaign invites the public to collect PET bottles and receive cash rewards based on their contributions.
For every 10 PET bottles deposited, participants will be eligible for a RM0.10 Trash4Cash buy-back incentive, alongside exclusive Coca-Cola products
Smart recycle bins.
This year's campaign introduces an innovative addition in the form of Smart Recycle Bins, made possible through Coca-Cola Malaysia’s partnership with Trash4Cash.
These semi-automated Smart Recycle Bins allow consumers to conveniently deposit PET bottles at any time during the campaign period, reducing the labour costs needed for staff to be present at collection points.
During the launch on Dec 6, The Coca-Cola Company PACS West Franchise Operation director Triyono Prijosoesilo expressed enthusiasm about the campaign, stating: "We're on a mission to collect more empty bottles so we can make new ones.
“The Recycle Me! campaign builds on last year's accomplishments, and we're thrilled to introduce our new partners and expand our reach to involve more communities.
Our collaboration with Aeon Malaysia, Hiroyuki Industries, and our new partner Trash4Cash will create more opportunities to educate the public about sorting at the source, and provide them with direct access to return our bottles,” he added.
Hiroyuki Industries processes PET bottles and turns them into rPet resin to be reintroduced into our supply chain.
He also said the campaign ties back to the company's role in reducing post consumption plastic packaging, citing the need to set up the necessary value chain with like-minded partners to enable recycled PET to re-enter the material stream as rPET resin.
"We want to create a more robust ecosystem of collection. We have other partners we work with that provide funding for collection and recycling at the global and regional level,” he said.
Triyono also noted that instilling new consumer behaviour is a long-term goal, and one that requires The Coca-Cola Company to be consistent.
“It’s not easy to change habit. We’ve been accustomed to treating plastic typically as single-use so we need to consistently educate and create awareness for consumers.”Aeon Malaysia chief human resources and sustainability officer Dr Kasuma Satria Mat Jadi emphasised their commitment to both environmental and societal aspects. He stated: "We at Aeon Malaysia aim to think globally and advance activities locally as we actively promote initiatives involving both environmental and societal aspects with our stakeholders."
Meanwhile, Hiroyuki Industries executive director Lionel Choong highlighted the value of plastic recycling.
"Through the Recycle Me! campaign, we aim to educate the public that plastic is not a waste; it holds great value if collected and processed appropriately," he said.
Expanding their efforts this year, Coca-Cola Malaysia and its partners are targeting 15 Aeon malls across five states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.
To simplify the deposit process, participants can now scan the QR code on the Smart Recycle Bins to provide their details. Organisers will then facilitate the rewarding process, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience for all recyclers.
Trash4Cash chief executive officer Shafreez Redza Mhd Saiful Anuar also emphasised the importance of reintegrating post-consumer packaging into the recycling value chain to reduce packaging waste.
"The public should understand that some post-consumer packaging has value, so it's important for us to reintegrate it into the recycling value chain,” he said.
“Trash4Cash's vision is to help communities give back their post-consumer packaging as a step towards taking better care of our environment."
The Recycle Me! campaign presents an excellent opportunity for Malaysians to actively contribute to sustainable practices and the circular economy while being rewarded for their efforts.
