Pollution is becoming an increasingly serious global issue, especially with the Great Pacific Garbage Patch growing in size by 10 fold every decade. We may be doing our part in reducing waste by reducing our use of “one-time use” plastics, but due to the lack of integrated recycling during our daily waste disposal, Peninsula Malaysia itself is estimated to produce up to 30,000 tonnes of solid waste on a daily basis.

Should we not begin to do our part in reducing waste production, Malaysia may soon run out of land to manage trash – and we may one day be building new developments on waste-filled land. So what can you do with your daily waste, if you are already used to separating them but have no confidence that your trash is getting properly recycled at the other end of the line?

Below we have listed down some of the most accessible recycle centres in the Klang Valley. A major perk of bringing your trash to some of these centres is that you get cash back too, as many of these centres have a buy-back program!


IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre

The Ikano Power Centre is a well-known family outing spot in the Klang Valley, connected to IKEA in Mutiara Damansara. At Ikano Power Centre, donors can donate typical household wastes such as papers in the form of cardboards, newspapers, and magazines. They also accept plastic waste, as well as tin, metal, and aluminium.

While the rates are subject to change at the discretion of the management, at the point of writing, aluminium carries the highest buy-back rate of RM2.50 per kg while plastic has the lowest rate of RM0.10 per kg. All the other materials stated carry a buy-back rate of RM0.20 per kg.

The IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre also takes in other recyclables such as electronic material which may pose a danger if thrown into the bin, such as batteries, car batteries, hairdryers, old TVs, lightbulbs, and various forms of e-waste. These materials are however not eligible for the buy-back scheme.

Should you have food waste, the IPC Recycling Centre also takes them in. Your food waste will be fed to the Black Soldier Fly larvae which they breed. Upon reaching maturity, the larvae are then grounded and turned into natural fertiliser, high protein animal feed, or insect oil. Donors are advised to freeze their food waste to prevent further rotting before sending it in. Each donor is limited to donating only 5kg of food waste per day.

Old garments are also accepted at the IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre. There are collection bins at recycling points, which are located at P1 of Ikano Power Centre’s parking lot near the Ladies Parking.


Alam Flora Buy-Back Centre

Alam Flora Buy-Back Centre (also known as BBC Alam Flora) is another great option aside from the IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre to send your recyclable waste to. As a waste management company, Alam Flora is committed to picking up our household waste dedicatedly and efficiently.

While Alam Flora and our community may not be as advanced as other countries in separating our waste efficiently for recycling, Alam Flora does however have a recycling program in place as a stepping stone towards the future.

The Alam Flora Buy-Back Centre headquarters is located in the Kuala Lumpur city centre at Jalan Bunus 6, City Centre, 50100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan. They do however have pick-up services coined 3R on Wheels (3RoW). Should you wish to book their services, you only need to fill up the 3R on Wheels (3RoW) Programme booking form. Aside from just picking up your recyclable goods, they can also provide educational talks and recycling awareness exhibitions.

Alam Flora Buy-Back accepts all forms of paper recyclable goods, plastic, metal, and aluminium. They also accept e-waste such as old computers, old televisions, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners, car batteries, microwaves, and so forth. But what really makes them special is that they also take in used cooking oil at RM1.10 per kg. For a full list of their buy-back prices, you can either refer to their website or refer to the list below.

Image source: alamflora.com.my

Another unique selling point of the Alam Flora Buy-Back program is that you also have the option of selling your recyclable goods for cash or exchanging them for Petronas Mesra points which you can use to purchase petrol for your vehicle.


Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar

Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar or P.A.S.S. for short is a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) that is dedicated to educating the public on recycling and protecting the environment through recycling. Unlike the IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre and Alam Flora Buy-Back program, Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar does not have a buy-back program. Donations to this centre are based purely on goodwill.

Similar to the other recycling centres, Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar takes in all the common recyclable waste products such as paper waste, metal, aluminium, and plastic. They also accept e-waste such as old televisions, refrigerators, and old computer parts. Old clothing, old bags and old toys are also accepted.

What sets Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar apart is that they also accept old furniture. There is however a clause in that – the old furniture must still be fully functional and not damaged. For example, should you wish to rid yourself of your old sofa which is torn or has a cracked surface, they will not accept it. For an idea of what they consider too damaged for donation, you can refer to the pictures on Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar's website.

Pertubuhan Amal Seri Sinar has about 95 collection bins set up throughout the Klang Valley with their headquarters based in Hulu Langat. A complete list of recycling bins location can be found on their website. Should you wish to dispose of larger goods such as refrigerators and large furniture, they also provide pick-up services.


Tzu Chi Kayu Ara Recycle Education Center

The Tzu Chi Kayu Ara Recycle Education Center is another well-known recycling centre in the Klang Valley. They have several connection points around the Klang Valley, with a lot of them in the Sri Petaling, Salak South, and Taman Desa area.

The Tzu Chi recycling centre has a long history rooted in Buddhism, which started Hualien in Taiwan in 1937. The centre was born through the devotions of Dharma Master Cheng Yen to the society. Arriving in Malaysia, the Tzu Chi Kayu Ara Recycle Education Center was born.

Donors are able to bring their recyclable goods to the centre for recycling, including goods such as plastic waste, paper waste, and electronic waste. This centre however does not have a buy-back scheme, hence donations here are based purely on goodwill.


Why Should You Recycle Your Household Waste?

The waste we produce at home may seem insignificant. The bubble wrap around our Shopee products, the A4 brochure handouts we picked up when shopping, or even the old used batteries from our air-conditioner’s control seem small and insignificant. However, when you multiply that by 6,396,174 households (2010 Department of Statistics Malaysia census), it adds up to tens of thousands of tonnes per day.

Should even a quarter of the 6,396,174 households in Malaysia start to practice recycling household waste, our daily solid waste can be reduced by tonnes, which will, in turn, reduce our carbon footprint and reduce the need to harvest new raw materials by that much.

Playing your part in this role is easy – all you need to do is separate your household wastes, send them to the recycling centres and maybe earn some cash back in the process too!

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(Written by Isabelle, 18th August 2021)