glass recycling in kuantan - jpspn

GLASS RECYCLING IN
KUANTAN
EXPLORING THE
POTENTIAL FOR
INCREASING RECYCLING
BY COLLECTION OF
SOURCE SORTED GLASS
IN KUANTAN
Ministry of Housing
and Local Government
Majlis Daerah
Kuantan
Danish International
Development Assistance
CARRIED OUT BY:
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan
FUNDED BY:
Solid Waste Management Component (SWMC)
Community Initiative and Educational Fund
DANIDA
CONSULTANT:
COWI A/S
RESPONSIBLE ENTITY:
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan
AUTHORS:
Carl Traeholt
Chen Saw Ling
PUBLISHED BY:
Department of National Solid Waste Management
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
Level 2 & 4, Block B North, Pusat Bandar Damansara
50644 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2092 4488
Fax: +603 2093 5982
www.kpkt.gov.my
PRINTED BY:
Meridian Solutions
1st Edition
November 2010
1,000 Copies
Table of Contents
Abbreviations and Acronyms
i
Foreword
ii
Message iii
Background
1
The Need for Glass Collection Programme
3
Project Design and Implementation
4
Implementation of Permanent Glass Collection Programme
15
School Glass Recycling Campaign
18
Survey on Waste Separation and Recycling Habits Among Students
21
Costing Experience for the Collection Programme
22
Challenges and Lessons Learnt
25
Recommendations
27
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Alam Flora
Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd.
DANIDA
Danish International Development Assistance
KITS
Alam Flora Children Programme
MHLG
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
MOA
Ministry of Agriculture
MOH
Ministry of Health
MPK
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan (Kuantan Municipal Council)
NGO
Non-governmental organisation
PUM Cullet
PUM Cullet Sdn. Bhd.
RO-RO
Roll-On, Roll-Off
Tzu Chi
Buddhist Tzu Chi Merits Society Malaysia
i
Foreword
Today, most people in Malaysia are becoming aware of the need to enhance sustainability in the
way we consume our resources. In recent years, the authorities as well as private organisations,
community groups and individuals have carried out numerous initiatives to reduce the amount
of waste produced or to ensure the materials are recycled after use. However, we still have a
long way to go before we truly can call our way of living sustainable.
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan (MPK) has realised the need to continuously improve recycling
and waste minimisation and expand the range of materials we recycle and the means we use
for improving recycling. One important waste fraction which the MPK has decided to look into
to increase recycling is used glass. In most places in Malaysia, recycling of glass is very limited as recycling is hardly
economically viable. This is especially the case for cities located far way from the users which is the case for Kuantan.
Recycling of glass is very important not only to save resources but also because making new bottles and containers
from recycled glass requires much less energy than making them from primary raw materials. In the era of global
warming, we cannot let this opportunity for reducing energy consumption remains un-utilised.
This booklet presents an initiative by MPK to break the limits for recycling by including glass in our recycling schemes. I
hope by reading this booklet, other councils or groups will be inspired to follow our path or to test other new and exciting
avenues in order to break the traditional barriers for recycling.
Finally, I would like to bring my sincere thanks to all that have worked hard to make this project possible and successfulthe committed staff of the council, residents’ associations, schools, teachers, motivated students, restaurants, other
entities providing glass for the scheme, Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd. (Alam Flora), recyclers, Budhist Tzu Chi Merits Society
Malaysia (Tzu Chi), other supporting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and not the least, the Danish International
Development Assistance (DANIDA) Solid Waste Management Community Initiatives Fund for generously supporting
the project financially.
Dato Azizan bin Ahmad
Yang Dipertua
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan
ii
Message
Public participation and awareness are instrumental for improving the way we deal with our waste
today. Waste reduction and recycling can only be successful if the authorities, private sector and
the public work together in unity for the better of the society.
In 2005, the Government of Denmark through DANIDA agreed with the Government of Malaysia
to establish a fund to support Local Authorities who were committed to carry out such initiatives to
increase public participation and awareness in solid waste management on the local level.
The fund was subsequently established in 2006 and the Local Authorities were requested to
submit proposals for funding. The response from the Local Authorities was overwhelming and very encouraging. It
was not easy for the Ministry and DANIDA to select the 10 initiatives among the large number of interesting and
promising ideas which could be financed within the budgetary limit. The strong response is a clear demonstration of
the commitment and enthusiasm towards saving resources and protecting the environment that exists in many Local
Authorities and communities.
The initiatives selected include a very broad range of activities involving many parts of the society, including residents,
school children, hotels, restaurants, hawkers and tourists, just to mention a few. The ranges of subjects are similarly
broad, including waste reduction, recycling, home composting, bulky waste management and cleanliness.
The fund has now come to an end and it is time to sum up the experience and the lessons learnt. Through a series of
booklets, each initiative is presented and the experience and lessons learnt are documented.
It is my hope that the booklets will act as an inspiration for others. The booklets are made not only to facilitate replication
of the initiatives but is also hoped that the booklets will inspire residents, communities and businesses to come up with
different and new ideas to further increase the involvement of the society and the hope for a brighter future for all of
us.
The present booklet presents one of the successful community initiatives – Glass Recycling in Kuantan.
DATO’ NADZRI BIN YAHAYA, Ph.D
Director General
Department of National Solid Waste Management
Ministry of Housing and Local Government
iii
Background
Glass constitutes a significant part of solid waste produced in the society. Glass is primarily used for bottles or other
containers for storing consumables and for drinking glass or windows. Compared to many other types of waste, glass is
unique because it can be 100% recycled. Furthermore, manufacturing new glass products from recycled glass requires
only 40% of the energy necessary to make glass from virgin raw materials. In practical terms, every recycled bottle saves
an equivalent amount of energy as is required to run a television set for 1.5 hours. Finally, every piece of glass deposited
takes up valuable landfill space. Therefore, glass recycling saves energy and raw materials, reduces manufacturing cost
of new products and prolongs the lifespan of landfills.
Yet, glass recycling in Malaysia is still in its infancy. Less than 30% of new bottles are made from recycled glass
compared to 80% in Thailand and 60-70% in Europe. A vast majority of glass still ends up at landfills.
In 2001, Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan (MPK) started its recycling unit. This unit was made responsible for deploying
recycling bins for the collection and recycling of paper, plastic and metal. At the same time, MPK began a recycling
awareness programme for schools. The council conducted awareness talks at different schools each month to foster
public participation. Along with this, MPK established a “Club 25” programme that referred to school environmental clubs
aiming at achieving a recycling rate of 25%. At this point in time, however, glass recycling was not yet included in the
programme.
At that time, no systematic collection for glass bottles was in place at the East Coast of Malaysia. Glass recycling in
Kuantan remained limited to a few sporadic initiatives undertaken by local non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
such as Tzu Chi and the waste contractor, Alam Flora. Recycled glass bottles from these initiatives were often sent to
buyers in Thailand.
Later, Alam Flora terminated their glass collection activities as the volume of glass was low and the subsequent sales
value did not justify the expenses incurred by collecting and handling the glass.
Realising the many benefits of glass recycling, MPK was eager to explore the opportunities for expanding recycling
in Kuantan to include glass. Whilst the benefits of glass recycling are obvious, a number of issues needed further
exploration to gauge whether or not glass recycling is viable and practical before a decision could be made.
By 2008, MPK had begun a house-to-house glass collection at Taman Berjaya Permai and Kempadang Perdana on
a trial basis. The glass was collected twice a week and the monthly collection was averaged at 3-4 tonnes. Glass
collection was still conducted in selected areas by Tzu Chi where the amount collected was averaged at 2-3 tonnes per
month. In contrast to MPK, Tzu Chi did not follow a scheduled collection but collected when source groups informed
1
them that their bins were full. The glass collected by Tzu Chi was donated to MPK.
Once collected, the glass was brought to the MPK premises where it was crushed manually before it was sent to KL
Glass in Petaling Jaya. However, in the beginning of 2008, KL Glass had stopped buying used glass, leaving the only
buyer in Malaysia, i.e. PUM Cullet Sdn. Bhd. (PUM Cullet). PUM Cullet uses recycled glass at its plant in Pasir Gudang
Johor, among others from a collection hub in Klang Valley. At a distance of approximately 300km from Kuantan, this
collection hub remained the nearest place for MPK to sell collected glass.
At a rate of 6-7 tonnes of glass collected per month, the main challenge for MPK was finding sufficient storage space.
Other key constraints for MPK glass recycling programme was the low price offered for used glass combined with the
heavy weight and high transportation cost to the recycling facilities.
2
The Need for Glass Collection Programme
When Alam Flora terminated their glass collection activities, Kuantan was void of a glass recycling programme which
covered the city broadly. As described above, MPK recognised the need for such programme. However, the council also
realised that in order to ensure the economic viability of a glass recycling system in Kuantan, a number of assumptions
must be fulfilled. The assumptions were as follow:
• Coordinated and effective collection system must be
developed and made functional
• Support from potential source groups, e.g. local
communities, restaurants, factories and schools to
actively participate and separate glass in an appropriate
manner must be ensured
• Storage centres for the collected glass must be made
available
• Sufficient amount of glass to make collection financially
worthwhile must be available (Box 1)
A “sufficient” amount depends on the expense
level. Large urban areas, e.g. Klang Valley
can provide more glass per hectare of city with
only short distance to buyer which will reduce
the overall operational cost. In comparison,
small and moderate-sized urban areas far
away from the buyer, e.g. Kuantan will face a
relatively higher operational cost.
To test the possibility of meeting these assumptions, MPK decided to apply to the Solid Waste Management Component
Community Initiatives Fund which was established by DANIDA in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing and Local
Government (MHLG) for support to a programme on community involvement in glass recycling. The proposed programme
aimed at engaging the public in glass recycling. The programme was titled “Public participation in glass collection in
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan”.
A proposal with a budget of RM 120,000 was approved by the Fund on 27 May 2008 and the contract was signed on 23
July 2008. The proposal listed the following objectives:
1. To establish a glass collection system from selected source groups under the jurisdiction of MPK
2. To establish a Glass Collection Centre in MPK for crushing and storing the glass collected before transfering
them to user
3. To instil awareness among the schools on glass recycling
4. To evaluate the sustainability of operating the proposed glass collection system and centre
The programme was initially approved for a 12-month duration, starting from September 2008 until August 2009 but was
later extended to December 2009.
3
Project Design and Implementation
Before submitting the proposal for the glass recycling programme to the Fund, MPK organised 2 meetings with the
stakeholders to provide information and obtain feedback on the proposed programme. The first meeting was conducted
on 9 November 2007 and the invited stakeholders included current and previous used glass collectors such as Alam Flora
and Tzu Chi, Department of Education and the principals from some interested schools. This meeting was attended by 20
stakeholders. The second meeting was conducted on 8 April 2008. This meeting was attended by 30 representatives from
the main generators of used glass such as the Kuantan Coffee-Shop Association, Industrial Association of Pahang and
used glass collectors such as Alam Flora and Tzu Chi. The meetings supported the establishment of the programme.
Subsequently, MPK formed a Project Committee consisting of representatives from Alam Flora, Tzu Chi, Department of
Education and the Town and Village Safety and Development Committee. MPK was appointed as the chairperson for
the Project Committee and was given the role of “Responsible Entity”, i.e. responsibility for the practical implementation
of the project.
The Project Committee identified the key activity areas in which each representative would be responsible for:
(i)
MPK
•
Undertakes the overall programme implementation
•
Establishes a Glass Collection Centre
•
Collects and transfers glass to MPK Glass Collection Centre
•
Maintains the records of glass collected
•
Prepares and distributes awareness and educational materials
•
Organises awareness campaigns for residents and schools
(ii) Alam Flora (Waste Contractor)
•
Assists in the distribution of awareness materials on glass recycling to schools and residents
4
(iii) Tzu Chi
•
Continue to collect glass in areas in which they were already active and coordinates their activities with
MPK
•
Delivers the collected glass to MPK
(iv) Department of Education
•
Coordinates with MPK to encourage schools and their “Environmental School Clubs (Club 25)” to
participate in the glass collection programme
•
Assists in the inter-school glass collection competitions
(v) Town and Village Safety and Development Committee
•
Informs residents about the glass recycling programme and the importance of their participation to
ensure its success
•
Cooperates with MPK and Alam Flora to encourage residents to attend awareness talks on glass
recycling
Apart from the stakeholders represented in the Project Committee, 2 additional stakeholder groups were also requested
to participate and contribute in the process. They were:
(a) Major Used Glass Generators Such As Restaurants, Pubs and Entertainment
Outlets, Hotels, Hypermarts, Car Workshops and Photo-Framing Shops
•
Coordinate and assign staff to oversee the proper procedures of glass sorting and usage of bins
provided by MPK
(b) Glass Recycler (PUM Cullet)
•
Receives glass collected from MPK upon payment
•
Provides talks on glass recycling for schools
5
Ideal Formulation
MPK with relevant stakeholders
Project Approval
MPK and DANIDA
Formation of Project Committee
MPK, Alam Flora, Tzu Chi, Department
of Education, Residents’ Associations
Awareness-raising
At identified glass sources
Project Implementation
Construction of Glass
Centre, deployment of
collection of glass
Glass Sales and Transportation
Collection
bins and
The process of setting up a glass recycling programme
Types and sorting of glass included in the recycling programme
First of all, the Project Committee had to determine the
types of glass to be included in the collection system. The
determination was made based on the criteria set by the
recyclers. Suitable glass for the collection programme was
determined as all pure, non-laminated glass such as bottles,
jugs, jars, windows, etc. and excluded laminated glass such
as mirrors, window glass with sunscreen, etc.
The PUM Group is involved in manufacturing,
mining, engineering, construction services,
processing of used glass and material supply to
the glass industries. It operates 2 silica processing
plants in Johor producing approximately 400,000
tonnes of silica sand per year for the market in
Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. In 2006,
PUM Group set up a factory in Pasir Gudang,
Johor for recycling of used glass.
At the onset of the glass recycling programme, MPK
planned to separate clear glass from coloured glass
because colour-sorted class can fetch more attractive
prices. A potential glass buyer offered RM 160 per
tonne of clear glass against only RM 100 per tonne for coloured or mixed glass. However, subsequently the only
buyer of clear glass stopped receiving recycled glass, leaving only one potential buyer of recycled glass, i.e. PUM
Cullet (Box 2). PUM Cullet did not distinguish between clear and coloured glass but offered a flat rate at RM 100
for all mixed glass. The facility in PUM Cullet was capable of sorting mixed glass into flint (clear glass), green and
subsequently, amber glass. MPK therefore, did not separate clear glass from coloured glass as originally planned.
6
Development of awareness of the glass collection programme
After signing of the contract in July 2008, an awareness programme was initiated.
Information brochures and posters were designed and printed. The brochures contained short and concise instructions
on the type of glass containers, jars and bottles which are suitable for recycling while the posters presented the steps
of glass recycling.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVE IN GLASS COLLECTION CENTRE IN
MAJLIS PERBANDARAN KUANTAN
Majlis Perbandaran Kuantan is establishing a collection centre for glass to
facilitate glass recycling. This is part of the community initiative to encourage
public participation in solid waste management.
Recycling of glass is important because it :
• Saves energy
Making new glass from recycled glass uses much less energy and reduces CO2 emissions
• Conserves the environment
Glass is 100% recyclable. Recycling your glass minimises consumption of raw materials.
• Reduces waste disposal costs
Diverting glass containers to recycling can help reduce the cost of collecting and disposing of
glass. It also saves this valuable material from being thrown away in landfills as used bottles
and jars.
Everyone can help the environment by recycling glass.
Thank you for your cooperation in this initiative !
TYPES OF GLASS
SUITAbLE FOR RECYCLING
(Clear glass & coloured glass, broken or intact)
 Wine and liquor bottles
 beer bottles
 Juice and water containers
PLEASE DO NOT
INCLUDE :
 Jars for jam
x Ceramic coffee cups
 Containers for soy sauce and
 Drinking glass
x Mirrors
other sauces
x Light bulbs
x Pyrex
3 EASY STEPS :
x Windows
1. DRAIN the container
x Car windshield
x Porcelain
2. RINSE IT
x Toxic bottle containers
3. BIN IT in the bag
provided
Danida
Danish International
Development Assistance
A brochure on glass recycling
7
A poster on glass recycling
8
The brochures were distributed to the different categories of generators of used glass during a series of awareness talks
which were organised by MPK in order to promote active participation in the glass recycling programme. The following
awareness talks were conducted:
Awareness talks on the glass recycling programme
No
Location
No. of Talks Conducted
No. of Brochures Distributed
1
Schools
40
400
2
Hotels
3
30
3
Restaurants/Pubs
3
30
4
Industries
2
20
5
MPK Stalls
2
20
The posters were subsequently distributed to the pubs, schools and residents’ associations by the MPK officers.
Trial glass collection
In order to estimate the amount of glass available for the collection as well as to estimate the cost of collecting and
transporting them to the recyclers, MPK decided to undertake a preliminary twice monthly trial collection of glass.
The trial collection was carried out during November 2008-January 2009 in conjunction with the preparation and
distribution of the awareness materials. The recycling unit of MPK collected the glass every fortnight and brought it to
the temporary collection centre at the MPK premises. Plastic bags for storing the glass until collection were distributed
to the premises.
The potential sources for glass collection were divided into 4 groups:
Group 1:
(a) The residential areas of Taman Berjaya Permai (750 households) and Kempadang Perdana (352
households) which already took part in the previous glass collection activity performed by MPK.
(b) The residential areas where Tzu Chi had already established its glass collection activity. The recyclables
were collected on a call-basis, i.e. when the container/bin is full, the customers will call them for collection.
The collected recyclables from these areas were transferred to the Tzu Chi recycling centre where they
also stored collected plastic, metal and paper before selling to the recyclers. Previously, Alam Flora had
bought the glass collected by Tzu Chi for RM 0.20/kg where proceeds went to charity. After Alam Flora
has terminated its glass collection activity, Tzu Chi has been donating the glass collected to MPK.
9
Group 2:
Group 3:
Schools participating in the “Club 25” programme by MPK. These schools have established students’
environmental clubs which aimed to achieve a recycling rate of 25%. 15 schools have participated in
the trial collection.
Hotels
Group 4:
Businesses such as restaurants, pubs and coffee houses. A total of 18 restaurants, bars and coffee
houses along 4 selected streets (Jalan Kubang Buaya, Jalan Wong Ah Jang, Jalan Air Putih and Jalan
Alor Akar) have participated in the trial collection.
Amount of Glass Collected
(’000 kg)
In total, the trial glass collection has yielded 17.4 tonnes of glass.
8
Glass Collected from the Trial Collection (Nov 08 - Jan 09)
Residential
Area
7
6
School
5
Restaurant/
Pub
4
3
2
1
0
Nov 08
Dec 08
Month
Amount of glass collected during the trial collection
10
Jan 09
The following amount of glass was collected from the 4 different groups:
For Group 1 (households), MPK has collected approximately 15 tonnes of glass.
No
Location
Month (kg)
Nov 08
Dec 08
Jan 09
Total (kg)
1
Taman Berjaya Permai
4,000
3,000
2,000
9,000
2
Kempadang Perdana
2,000
500
500
3,000
3
Tzu Chi
1,330
872
1,665
3,867
7,330
4,372
4,165
15,867
Total
For Group 2 (schools), MPK has collected approximately 812kg of glass.
No
Location
Month (kg)
Nov 08
Dec 08
Jan 09
Total (kg)
1
S.M. Methodist
43
210
30
283
2
S.K. Sg. Isap
9
10
10
29
3
S.K. Cenderawasih
10
15
20
45
4
S.K. Beserah
10
42
30
82
5
Polisas
10
10
8
28
6
S.K. Kempadang
10
10
15
35
7
S.K. Sg. Soi
10
10
20
40
8
Past Ar Rahman
10
10
10
30
9
S.M. Beserah
10
10
10
30
10
S.K. Tok Sira
10
10
10
30
11
S.K. Sg. Lembang
20
10
10
40
12
S.K. Penor
10
10
10
30
13
S.K. Air Putih
10
10
10
30
14
S.K. Bukit Rangin
10
10
10
30
15
S.K. Assunta
20
10
20
50
Total
202
387
223
812
11
Group 3 (hotels) was eventually excluded because the hotels have informed the Project Committee that the hotel staff
were privately collecting glass for recycling and the hotel management did not want to interfere with their practice.
For Group 4 (businesses), MPK has collected approximately 748kg of glass.
No
Location
Month (kg)
Nov 08
Dec 08
Jan 09
Total (kg)
1
Mitra Band House
4
5
6
15
2
Mega KTV
80
75
35
190
3
Utro Bistro
8
6
3
17
4
Center Paint Café
0
6
2
8
5
New Mini Karaoke
0
5
2
7
6
Susu Bar Baru
0
6
3
9
7
Golden Air-Con Bar
0
4
4
8
8
Sakura Bar
0
3
4
7
9
New Taiwan Bar
0
5
3
8
10
Legenda KTV
0
6
4
10
11
G.R. Café
1
0
2
3
12
A.A. Budget Karaoke
350
20
30
400
13
Waves Café
5
0
3
8
14
Share Louage
11
5
0
16
15
Green Dragon Karaoke
20
5
5
30
16
Best 11 Karaoke
0
2
0
2
17
Bistro 911
0
3
4
7
18
Audrey KTV Lounge
0
2
1
3
Total
479
158
111
748
12
Establishment of Glass Collection Centre
During the trial collection, the glass was brought to the MPK temporary Glass Collection Centre at the MPK premises.
2 existing roll-on/roll-off (RO-RO) containers were used for storing the collected glass.
A critical factor in making glass collection economically viable is the ability to store the collected glass until it reaches a
certain amount (approximately 10 tonnes) before it is transported away. Therefore, MPK decided that a Glass Collection
Centre should be established prior to initiating the permanent collection. A location within the premise of the mechanical
section of the council at Jalan Bukit Ubi was identified for the centre. A detailed design of the centre was prepared
and the cost of construction was estimated. The construction of the centre commenced on 17 October 2008 and was
completed by December 2008. The centre consisted of a wall-less shelter equipped with glass storage bins.
Glass Collection Centre
On 29 March 2009, the Yang Dipertua of MPK, Y.H. Dato’ Azizan bin Ahmad officially launched the Glass Collection
Centre at the MPK complex. A total of 100 participants from MPK, Department of Education, teachers from schools,
NGOs, residents’ associations and media attended the launching event.
13
Launching of the Glass Collection Centre in MPK by Yang Dipertua Y.H. Dato’ Azizan bin Ahmad
The operation of the Glass Collection Centre involved 2 workers from the Council Recycling Unit who manually crushed
the glass by using large hammers. This was performed because crushed glass will take up significantly less space as
compared to uncrushed glass, allowing MPK to store larger volume of glass at the centre before transporting it to the
recyclers and hereby, optimising the transportation costs. Throughout the operation, the workers were equipped with
protective gears such as rubber boots, masks, goggles, gloves and ear protectors.
Subsequently, a glass crushing machine was purchased in order to mechanise and speed-up the glass crushing activity
and to reduce the health and injury risks for the workers. At the same time, the Recycling Unit hired 2 additional workers.
One of them was attached to the Recycling Unit to manage the glass crushing machine and store the glass at the MPK
collection centre while the other worker was attached to receive incoming calls.
When the storage containers at the Glass Collection Centre were full, MPK coordinated with PUM Cullet to deliver the
mixed glass to its collection hub at Meru, Klang Valley. During the trial collection, 2 trips with 1.75 tonnes and 8.9 tonnes
of glass respectively were delivered. From their collection hub, PUM Cullet used its own vehicle to transport the glass to
their factory in Pasir Gudang, Johor.
14
Implementation of Permanent Glass Collection Programme
After the trial glass collection and the construction of the Glass Collection Centre, MPK designed and implemented a
permanent glass collection programme. For this purpose, 200 2-wheeled bins (120 litre) and 100 drum bins (100 litre)
were purchased. The plastic bags used during the preliminary glass collection were replaced with new wheeled glass
collection bins.
As shown in the following table, MPK identified 175 collection sites from 13 different categories of generators. Each site
was provided with 1-2 bins for glass collection. The sites included 14 residential areas, governmental offices, schools,
office buildings, restaurants, petrol stations, industries, etc.
Location and amount of bins originally deployed for MPK glass collection
Location
No. of Bin
Governmental Offices
15
Schools and Educational Centres
34
Petrol Stations
20
Workers’ Quarters
15
Office/Business Areas
7
Public Area
12
Residential Area
14
Industrial Area
30
Alam Flora’s Children Programme (KITS)
30
Buy-back Centres
44
Alam Flora’s Programme for Households (Waste-wise)
8
Pusat Belian Harian, MPK Office
1
Pubs/Restaurants
20
Total
250
In total, 250 bins were deployed. The remaining 50 bins were stored at the Glass Collection Centre for future use.
15
For Alam Flora’s Children Programme (KITS) and Alam Flora’s Programme for Households (Waste–wise), the glass
were not collected by MPK as Alam Flora was carrying out the programmes on its own. Thus, the amount of glass
collected was not accounted for in the MPK permanent glass collection programme.
Glass collection carried out under the 2 Alam Flora programmes
Location
No. of Bin
Alam Flora’s Children Programme (KITS)
30
Alam Flora’s Programme for Households (Waste–wise)
8
Total
38
In some areas, non-compliance with the sorting requirements was realised as an issue. Organic matter, plastic, paper
and metal were occasionally dropped into the glass recycling bins and thus, requiring MPK to spend extra time to sort
the glass.
As the programme progressed, MPK further realised that only very little glass was collected from residential areas and
governmental offices, among others.
Therefore, MPK decided to remove the bins from these categories and concentrated on glass collection from schools,
educational centres and pubs/restaurants. Tzu Chi continued glass collection from the residential areas which were
previously serviced by them and continued to deliver the glass to the MPK Glass Collection Centre.
Permanent glass collection programme carried out by MPK
Location
No. of Bin
Schools and Educational Centres
34
Pubs/Restaurants
20
Total
54
To undertake the collection, MPK further expanded their existing Recycling Unit by hiring a driver. An existing MPK
truck was made available for the programme. Once every fortnight, the glass collection team visited each site to collect
the glass. The collection was divided into 2 half-day collection rounds where the glass from approximately 27 bins was
collected per collection round. In addition, the staff used 2 hours to crush the glass per half day collection. In total, MPK
has used approximately 1.5 working days per fortnight collection.
The total amount of glass collected in the 12-month period from 1 May 2009 to 30 April 2010 has amounted to 20 tonnes
or an average of 1.7 tonnes per month.
16
Amount of Glass (kg)
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
2,000
Amount of Glass (kg)
Total Glass Collected (1 May 09 - 30 April 10)
1,600
May09 Jun09 Jul09 Aug09 Sep09 Oct09 Nov09 Dec09 Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10
Glass Collection from May 2009 to April 2010
School
Restaurant/Pub
Tzu Chi
1,200
800
400
0
May09 Jun09 Jul09 Aug09 Sep09 Oct09 Nov09 Dec09 Jan10 Feb10 Mar10 Apr10
The amount of glass collected seems to be reasonably stable. The high amount of glass collected from schools in the
first month can be attributed to the glass collection competition held at schools as described below.
The amount of glass collected was considerably lower than the amount collected during the trial collection. As an
example, schools and pubs/restaurants each contributed approximately 1/3 of the amount collected during the trial
collection. This underlines the need for continuous awareness-creation to sustain such collection system for sourcesorted waste. However, the decline was also caused by the fact that the pubs/restaurants, similarly to the hotels, have
become aware of the value of used glass and therefore, started delivering them to other agents. In this case, the glass
was still being recycled even though the amount did not appear in the MPK statistics. Alam Flora, as described above,
also continued collecting the glass from their programmes without delivering the glass to the MPK collection system.
17
School Glass Recycling Campaign
To enhance the participation rate from schools, MPK decided to organise a competition on glass recycling among the
schools. The competition was carried out during the 3-month period from March-May 2009 where each school was
required to collect as much glass as possible. The schools mandated their respective “Club 25” to organise the collection
for the competition. For each participating school, 25 primary school students (year 4-year 6) were also required to plan
for a safe and efficient method for glass collection for the school. The winner of the competition was the school which
had contributed the highest amount of glass collected in weight.
Talks and presentations to the school teachers on the glass collection competition
A briefing by MPK on the glass recycling competition was held on 12 February 2009 to 59 schools which had established
a “Club 25”. The briefing focussed on the glass collection programme, details of the competition, information on the
types of glass which were accepted by the programme and the necessary precautionary measures to be taken when
collecting glass. On the following day, MPK distributed the participation forms for the competition to all schools with
“Club 25”, including the schools which were absent during the briefing. A total of 20 schools subsequently submitted the
participation forms to MPK and eventually, 13 schools have participated actively in the competition.
Throughout the competition, MPK collected glass from the schools every fortnight and recorded the amount of glass
collected. A total of 2,500kg of glass was collected. The winner, Sekolah Kebangsaan Kempadang was awarded with a
challenge trophy and a school trip to the glass recycler, PUM Cullet in Pasir Gudang, Johor. The amount collected from
the individual schools is presented in the following table.
18
In order to increase the amount of glass collected, the winner had organised an internal collection competition for
glass and plastic bottles. The internal competition was opened to the students of year 4-year 6, special classes and
the teachers of the school. The competition was organised into 3 different categories, i.e. classroom, individual student
and individual teacher. The winner from each category was determined by the quantity of bottles collected. Bottles were
received and counted at noon on every Friday. The bottles were then stored at a temporary collection centre at the
school until collection. Prizes were given to the top 3 winners for the classroom category and to the best for each of the
individual student and individual teacher category.
A prize-giving ceremony was organised on 16 June 2009. The Director General of the Department of National Solid
Waste Management, YBhg. Dato’ Dr. Nadzri bin Yahaya, Yang Dipertua Y.H. Dato’ Azizan bin Ahmad, MPK and the
Department of Education, Kuantan District, En. Rosdi bin Ismail were invited to the ceremony. A total of 500 participants
attended the event, including students from the participating schools and representatives from the organisations involved
such as the residents’ associations. Alam Flora, PUM Cullet and MPK delivered talks on recycling in general and on
glass recycling in particular.
Results from inter-school glass collection competition
Month (kg)
Mar
Apr
May
To t a l
(kg)
237
329
515
1,081
14
S.K. Assunta
0
0
63
63
3
S.K. St. Thomas
0
0
20
4
S.K. Jaya Gading
0
154
5
S.K. Kuala Penor
0
6
S.K. Cherating
7
Month (kg)
Mar
Apr
May
To t a l
(kg)
S.K. Tanjung
0
0
0
0
15
S.K. Chung Ching
0
0
0
0
20
16
S.K. Bukit Trangin
0
0
0
0
0
154
17
S.K. Mat Kilau
0
0
0
0
51
117
168
18
S.K. Teruntum
0
0
0
0
0
27
0
27
19
S.K. (C) Chung Chin
0
0
0
0
S.K. Air Putih
0
137
71
208
20
S.K. Soi
0
0
0
0
8
S.K. Nadak
0
146
0
146
21
S.K. Batu 3
0
0
0
0
9
S.K. Sg. Lembing
0
356
0
356
22
S.K. Indra Makhota
0
0
0
0
10
S.K. Semambu
0
233
0
233
23
S.K. Pancing
0
0
0
0
11
S.K. Tanah Putih
Baru
0
18
0
18
24
S.K. Permatang
Badak
0
0
0
0
12
S.K. Sg. Isap
0
14
0
14
25
S.K. Sultan Abdullah
0
0
0
0
13
S.K. Kampung
Padang
0
18
0
18
No
Location
1
S.K. Kempadang
2
No
Location
Total
19
2,506
Prize-giving ceremony
The visit to PUM Cullet and Malayan Glass in Pasir Gudang, Johor was
conducted on 16-18 August 2009. A total of 5 teachers, 25 students from
the winning school and 10 officers from MPK took part in the tour. The visits
gave the participants a clear insight in the glass recycling process. The
General Manager of PUM Cullet further delivered an interesting talk to the
participants on glass recycling practice in Malaysia.
Visit to PUM Cullet
20
Survey on Waste Separation and Recycling Habits Among
Students
To measure the effect of the glass collection completion in the schools on the waste separation and recycling practices
among students, MPK came up with a questionnaire survey on waste separation and recycling practices. The
questionnaire form was handed out during the prize-giving ceremony. A total of 196 students responded to the survey
by filling-in and submitting the forms.
The survey clearly demonstrated the effect of the glass collection programme as glass had become the most recycled
item among the students. Containers for sauces and bottled drinks were among the items most frequently recycled. The
most recycled item was glass and followed by aluminum, paper, batteries and yard waste.
Yard Waste 4%
Battery 2%
Glass 37%
Paper 24%
When it comes to bringing the glass collected
from the households to the schools, a majority of
the students took precautions such as wrapping
the glass with old newspapers or plastic bags
when bringing the glass as advised during the
briefings for the schools. However, there were
still a small number of students who did not take
such precautions.
Most of the respondents have understood the
concept of waste separation and recycling.
48% of them described recycling as the
separation of wet (kitchen) waste from the dry
waste. 23% explained that recycling was about
reusing items that were being disposed of while
another 5% described recycling as selling of old
newspapers.
Aluminium 33%
Items recycled from the households
46% of the respondents explained that the reason
to carry out recycling was to reduce the amount of waste being disposed of. 32% stated that the reason was to protect
the environment while 5% of them explained that the purpose was to gain additional income.
Other answers from the respondents clearly indicated that in order to increase the rate of recycling, improved awareness
was required. In addition, other answers demonstrated that the location of recycling centres and the type of recyclables
which were acceptable need to be made better known to the public.
21
Costing Experience for the Collection Programme
Operational costs of trial collection and delivery
Based on the trial collection, MPK has estimated the operational costs for the glass collection programme. The estimation
has assumed that a collection truck from the existing MPK Recycling Unit was made available. The labour force needed
for the trial glass collection, crushing and storage was 1 driver and 4 general workers. All staff were remunerated at a
daily wage according to the figures in the following table which has amounted to RM 87.50 per day.
The daily cost of labour
Driver
General Worker
Rate/Day (RM)
Unit
Sub-Total (RM)
17.50
17.50
1
4
17.50
70.00
Total
87.50
The collection included crushing of glass and storing them at the MPK Recycling Centre. During the trial collection, all
collection sites were visited on the same day with a bi-monthly collection schedule. In total, 2 labour days were required
per month for the assigned staff, amounting to RM 175 per month.
The cost of transporting the collected glass to Meru, Klang Valley is presented in the following table. It was assumed that
the trip can be accomplished in one day and only require a driver and a general worker. The fuel and highway toll were
calculated based on the 2 trips performed during the trial collection period. The total cost of transportation amounted to
RM 405. The truck used for the transportation was capable of carrying 12-15 tonnes of glass per trip.
The cost of transporting glass to Meru, Klang Valley
Driver
General Worker
Rate/Day (RM)
Unit
Sub-Total (RM)
17.50
17.50
1
4
17.50
70.00
Fuel for Transport
Highway Toll
250.00
120.00
Total
22
405.00
The total yield of glass from the trial collection was approximately 17.4 tonnes which amounted to an average of 5.8
tonnes per month.
Assuming that the collected glass was delivered to Meru, Klang Valley once every 3 months, the following operational
cost was incurred:
Income generated from the collected glass for a period of
3 months
Operational cost of glass collection and delivery to
Meru, Klang Valley for a 3-month period
Cost
RM per 3 months (1 trip)
Collection
Transportation
Total
Description
525.00
405.00
RM/tonne
Glass collected
Price of mixed glass
930.00 (3 months)
17.4 tonne
RM 100 per tonne
Total Income
RM 1,740.00
Net revenue was RM 1,740 – RM 930 = RM 810 or approximately RM 270 per month.
The trial collection suggested that the activity was financially viable as long as the facilities such as truck, storage centre
and crushing machine were available and therefore, need not be included in the calculation.
The economy for the subsequent permanent collection system is presented in the following table.
Total cost of setting up and operating a glass collection system
Capital Cost
Glass Collection Shed
Bins
Protective Gears for Glass Crushing
Awareness-creating Posters on Glass Recyling
Cost per Unit
Quantity
Sub-Total
17,710.00
200.00
2,830.00
3.00
1
8
1
1000
17,710.00
16,000.00
2,830.00
3,000.00
Total Capital Cost
Operational Cost for Collection and Storage
Cost per Unit
Quantity
39,540.00
Sub-Total
Driver
General Workers
17.50
17.50
2
6
35.00
105.00
Supervisors
Officer
Fuel (Diesel)
20.00
20.00
1.75
2
2
10
40.00
40.00
35.00
Total Operational Cost per Month
23
255.00
Operational Cost - Round Trip from Kuantan to Klang Valley
Fuel
Toll
Staff Costs
Sub-Total
250.00
120.00
35.00
Total Operational Cost per Trip
405.00
The total capital cost for setting up the glass collection centre has reached RM 39,540. The capital cost for the collection
was not estimated as a collection truck was assumed to be available from the existing recycling team of the council.
Operational cost for the collection, storage and transportation was estimated at RM 390 per month, assuming one trip
to Meru, Klang Valley in every 3 months.
During the permanent collection, MPK was able to collect approximately 1.7 tonnes of glass per month from the 54 bins
deployed at various sites. At a sales value of RM 100 per tonne, MPK was only able to generate RM 170 per month. This
amount was not enough to account for the collection and transportation cost. The operations have generated a monthly
deficit of RM 390 - RM 170 = RM 220 which has to be provided by MPK in order to sustain the system.
However, the economy can be improved by reducing the frequency of transporting the glass to Meru, Klang Valley as
only 5.1 tonnes was collected in 3 months. In the future, the economy is expected to improve significantly as saved
alternative disposal cost is expected to be a major economic factor. Currently, most disposal sites charge only minor
gate-fees. This is, however, expected to change when the new national legislation and the establishment of modern
environmentally-safe treatment and disposal facilities are fully implemented in the near future.
24
Challenges and Lessons Learnt
The collection system for used glass has been very successful, especially for schools and pubs/restaurants. The
experience has highlighted the need for strong and continuous awareness-raising to keep such system sustainable.
The residential areas involved in the trial collection were active and provided large amounts of glass, probably due
to the intense awareness-raising campaigns carried out prior to and during the trial period. However, collection in the
residential areas had only limited success when expanded broadly to a large number of residential areas during the
permanent collection. The collection from schools was very successful. This is clearly due to the high focus that was
put on the schools among others through the school competition. The broad distribution of bins to a wide number of
institutional, commercial and industrial sources, on the other hand, had only limited success probably due to the limited
awareness activity that was possible at each site as the number of collection sites were increased. However, the
success was larger than that registered by the MP Kuantan programme. Glass collection at hotels and pubs/restaurants
have increased although these businesses disposed off the collected glass through other channels. Alam Flora has also
disposed of the used glass collected through their programmes themselves.
These experiences have highlighted the high demand for continuous awareness-creation and networking to sustain
such collection systems currently. To change the attitudes and make source-sorting and recycling a natural part of daily
life for every citizen in Malaysia, the Local Authorities are required to continue such collection effort and awareness
creation for a long time to come.
Most recycling practices in Malaysia today are directed towards materials that contain an economic value and most
recycling is based on some level of pay-back. Glass collection in Kuantan is directed towards collection of materials for
which the economic value is not big enough to pay the generators for delivering the materials to the system. Starting to
move down this avenue is very important for the future environment. Kuantan has taken a first brave step but it will take
a long time before this becomes a general practice all over Malaysia.
Glass recycling in Malaysia is still in its infancy and collection systems for glass are still few and far apart. Despite the
lower production costs for glass bottles when using recycled glass and the obvious business potential that lies herein,
price for recycled glass currently remains very modest.
As MPK was already operating a Recycling Unit with its own financial allocation, the collection cost for glass recycling
was absorbed into the existing operational cost of the Recycling Unit. The establishment of glass collection was a
straight forward process which the Unit could easily absorb into their daily operational activities.
25
The programme has revealed that glass collection is not financially sustainable under the current collection circumstances.
Setting the average monthly income of RM 170 against the total operating expenses of RM 390, the volume of glass
collected was not large enough to make the collection economically viable. However, this limited deficit was not considered
a major obstacle by MPK. Despite the need for subsidy, MPK found it important to continue the glass recycling. This was
primarily because MPK has perceived recycling as an additional value to the citizens’ quality of life. A clean and neat
urban environment is important with respect to health, pollution and aesthetics. Even though these values are difficult to
be assessed in economic terms, they are imperative to all people’s welfare.
The economy of the glass collection is further expected to improve in the future. An immediate improvement can be
achieved by reducing the frequency of the transfer to Klang Valley and the collection will be even more economically
attractive in the future when alternative disposal costs are expected to increase dramatically.
In other areas located closer to the user, the financial situation will also be better due to reduced transfer costs.
The Committee of the Recycling Unit
26
Recommendations
MPK has gained invaluable experiences from the “Public participation in glass collection centre in Majlis Perbandaran
Kuantan” project. None of the challenges encountered during the project duration was insurmountable and in general,
MPK has considered the project a success.
Success, however, does not emerge without proper planning, networking and support from relevant stakeholders.
Based on the experiences from the project, MPK recommends that:
1. Glass recycling should take place in all communities.
(a) Where communities produce too small volume of glass or is located too far away from the recycling facilities,
the collection may need minor subsidising.
(b) At large urban areas located within a reasonable distance from the recycling facilities, glass collection and
recycling may be economically self-sustaining.
2. Stakeholders’ involvement must already take place at the idea-formulation stage in order to ensure a successful
project outcome as this initiates networking, cross-sectoral collaboration and support.
3. Provision of recycling infrastructure and awareness programmes (bins, awareness-creating posters and awareness
talks) must be given a high priority as it is imperative to successful glass recycling. The public and local business
communities will be committed to glass recycling only as long as the necessary facilities are present.
4. Awareness on the proper usage of glass collection bins is critical as misuse of bins for other waste types is a
problem encountered in the glass recycling programme.
5. Regular collection and/or replacement of recycling bins must be vigorously exercised and coordinated. Late or
sporadic collection will result in overflowing or damaged bins which will create a bad precedence for the end users.
This, in turn, will have negative consequences on the public’s motivation to support glass recycling as well as
other recycling programmes.
6. Sufficient storage space must be made available for the collected glass and cullet.
27
7. Recycling awareness programmes for schools should take place regularly in order to ensure that the future
generations are committed to prudent waste disposal and recycling processes. This can be incorporated into the
school curriculum.
8. Coordination and liaison with the glass recycler is essential to ensure proper off-take of the collected glass.
9. Support from the Governmental agencies such as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health and MHLG are really
needed to enhance the programmes and to ensure they are recognised nationwide.
10. Financial allocation for programme campaigns must be part of the yearly budget for the organisation to enable
activities such as glass collection competition among schools as well as other groups or entities to take place.
28
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