PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) is receiving 1,000 pieces of poly Aluminium (polyAl) panel boards made from recycled drink packets as part of its CAREton Project 2019.
The project by Tetra Pak (M) Sdn Bhd and supported by Nestlé Milo UHT aims to encourage consumers to recycle the beverage packets.
As part of the project, some 35 million drink packs are targeted to be recycled this year.
The council plans to use the 1,000 pieces of the polyAl panel boards as wall panels at the Eco-Recycling Plaza in SS8, Kelana Jaya.
The Eco-Recycling Plaza is the first of its kind integrated recycling centre in the country as well as an educational hub by the council, focusing on extending the life of waste through various recycling measures.
The centre will be open to the public middle of this year.
Petaling Jaya Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department director Lee Lih Shyan said the council is steadfast in its aim to reduce the waste disposed at the landfill.
“The Eco-Recycling Plaza will act as a showpiece for the public to learn about various green initiatives, including recycling waste.
“We should always think of ways to prolong the lifespan of items instead of just using them only once and discarding them into bins,” said Lee.
Tetra Pak Malaysia, Singapore & Philippines environment director Terrynz Tan said while recycling rates had been on the uptrend, there is much room for awareness and education on drink pack recycling.
“We have come a long way since 2012, and much of this achievement can be attributed to the concerted efforts of our partners and the public.
“We urge Malaysians to continue doing their bit by recycling their drink packs and educating others on how easy it is.
“One simple way is to do the 3Fs – first push the straw back into the pack, second, flatten out the flaps, and finally, pack it up and drop it off at any of our collection partners,” she said.
Details on the drop-off centres can be found on http://recycle-easy.com.my/
Also present at the event were Bandar Utama assemblyman Jamaliah Jamaluddin, Epic Homes founder and chief executive officer John-Son Oei.
Jamaliah encouraged Petaling Jaya residents to take note of the drop-off centres for the drink packets and do their share of separating the waste.
Meanwhile, Oei said Epic Homes, a social enterprise that helps build homes for the underprivileged in mostly rural areas, had also incorporated roofing made of polyAl panel boards into the houses.