THE federal government had set an unambitious target of achieving national recycling rate (NRR) of 40% by 2025.

The NRR reached 31.5% in 2021, compared to 30.7% in 2020. It is projected the NRR will hover around 35% in 2025.

This is a disappointing outcome when coupled with the fact that national recycling programmes was started in 1993.

The Ministry of Housing and Local Government is responsible for solid waste management, governed by Jabatan Pengurusan Sisa Pepejal Negara.

Meanwhile, the executing GLCs are SWCorp, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd.

Previously, ministers, bureaucrats and GLCs directors with the six-figure salary per annum repeatedly blamed people mentality for the low NRR to deflect their inability to solve public problems.

Ministers, bureaucrats and GLCs directors do not have any moral high ground to blame the public because they had failed to fully utilise the policymaking tools available to improve recycling rate.

Private profits thrive through public ignorance

First, consumers lack guidance to recycle or dispose of goods at the end of their lifespan, or the packaging.

Manufacturers produces millions of iterations of consumer goods and packaging, the majority of which is made from a combination of recyclable and non-recyclable parts.

Manufacturers with an emphasis on profit before planet have no natural motivation to improve their products environmental footprint.

Globally, manufacturers only improve their products’ environmental footprint when under intense pressure from green consumerism or government regulations.

For example; an instant noodle cup is made up of aluminium foil for seasoning and top cover, rigid plastic cup and spoon, and paper for produce information.

Most people assume aluminium foil can recycled in the aluminium bin. However, aluminium, and silver foil are non-recyclable. The rigid plastic cup and spoon must be cleaned to remove food decontamination before recycling.

Another example will be the empty tissue boxes. Tissue boxes are made of box with some flimsy transparent plastic flap around the dispenser hole. The plastic flap needs to be removed before the box is sent to recycle.

However, 99% of Malaysians does not have the knowledge to dismantle and separate multi-material consumer goods before recycling.

Eventually, the whole item is dumped into landfill bound trash bins. Hundreds of tonnes of landfill bound waste could have been recycled if it was separated correctly.

Secondly, manufacturers and big business are systematically misleading environmentally conscious consumers on daily basis to consume products supposedly recyclable.

One such example is paper cups and plates that are handed out by fast food chain outlets nationwide.

About 20 years ago, fast food chains provided dine-in customers with reusable plates and cups. This had been replaced with paper plates and cups.

Meanwhile, high end coffee chains such as Starbucks replaced reusable mugs with disposable cups.

This method was introduced to reduce the number of staff required to clean tables and wash dishes respectively. These labour cost savings tactics never trickled down as higher wages for existing workers nor cheaper goods for people. However, the overall society continues to drown under piles of trash.

The majority of people tends to feel good after throwing those paper cups and plates into paper recycling bins.

Unknown to them, the inner part of papers plates and cups are coated with plastic. The plastic lined papers cups and plates cannot be recycled but can contaminate the process of recycling paper waste.

Mixing non-recyclable waste with recyclable materials reduces the effective recycling rate (ERR). Although 31.5% of waste is sent to recycling centres, that does not mean it is actually recycled.

Certain non-recyclable plastics such as flimsy wrappers and plastics bags can damaged recycling equipment. Meanwhile, pizza box and paper straws with food contamination cannot be recycled.

The overall effective recycling rate may actually be far lower than national recycling rate. Big business is knowingly withholding information to mislead people into assuming they are behaving in an environmentally responsible manner.

Third, people are making purchase without knowing the quantity of non-recyclable material inside the enclosed packaging.

Manufacturers are steadily reducing the proportion of consumed goods without decreasing the size of external packing by introducing extra internal packing.

One such example is processed food packaging, such as biscuits and crackers. About 10 years ago, consumers could eat the biscuits directly after opening the main packaging.

Five years ago, the biscuits were repackaged into smaller packs within the main packaging. Today, there are large transparent plastic trays hold the small packs in the main package.

Consumer will not realise the proportion of unnecessary packaging until they open external packaging at home.

The so call “free market” has free rein to trick consumers into buying items without full disclosure. Private profit thrives by preying on public ignorance of unethical business practices.

Recycling guide label

The government must introduce a recycling guide label in both Bahasa Malaysia and English. The label must provide instructions on steps to separate, recycle, and dispose the items and its packaging.

People have not time to search so clear instruction is necessary to improve recycling at source.

A recycling guide label ensures higher ERR by minimising contaminations at source of separation. It will provide clearer disclosure to consumers about the impact of waste before the purchase.

A label will put eco-conscious downward pressure on the revenue for manufacturers with wasteful practices. Subsequently, manufacturers will design environmentally friendly goods and packaging.

Moving forward

There are existing federal laws and regulations that allows federal government to enforce such labelling onto consumer goods. However, these laws are not under the purview of the ministry.

Regulations and standards for labels such for food, cosmetic and electronics are fragmented across multiple ministries: health, international trade, consumer affairs etc.

Henceforth, the label requires multi-ministry executive powers for execution. As complex it sounds, its merely requires the commitment from the cabinet and a 50% NRR by 2025 is achievable.

The fundamental questions to raise recycling rate is the political will for execution. – January 25, 2022.

* Sharan Raj is a human rights activist, environmentalist and infrastructure policy analyst.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.