KUALA LUMPUR – B40 residents of People’s Housing Projects (PPR) can earn up to RM400 a month by separating their household solid waste and sending it for recycling at the Zero Waste Community (Kosis) Centre.
The initiative, organised by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), is now in place at 17 PPR locations – the “pioneers” of the initiative that began in 2020, SWCorp Datuk Ahmad Husaini Abdul Rahman said, according to Bernama.
He added that residents who have participated by sending their waste to the Kosis Centre at their PPR have earned RM30 to RM400 per month from selling recyclable materials.
A PPR resident, Ahmad Hizam Hairudin, 55, said he earned up to RM200 a month from the scheme by separating and recycling his egg cartons, food waste, and unused electrical items.
The chairman of Rumah Pangsa Jalan Hospital Rukun Tetangga Community Centre in Ipoh said he used to dispose all his trash down the building’s garbage chute.
“But with the Kosis programme, waste is managed properly and it even provides us with an income,” Hizam, who works as a clerk told Bernama.
The Kosis Centre at each PPR takes food waste, plastic bottles, paper, packaging plastic, and used cooking oil. Each centre consists of modified existing garbage disposal facilities, and cabinets to serve as collection points for receiving recyclable materials.
Staff at the centre weigh the waste to determine the amount to be paid to residents. They also carry out awareness activities and engage with PPR residents to encourage participation in the programme.
“The recyclable waste collected will be sold to local recycling operators, and proceeds from these sales will be distributed to participants of the Kosis programme,” SWCorp’s Husaini said.
Food waste, meanwhile, is treated through composting methods to produce organic fertiliser which can then be used in PPR community gardens.
“This initiative also encourages PPR residents to adopt recycling practices, contribute to the national recycling rate target of 40% by 2025, and support the enforcement of the Separation at Source policy which was implemented in 2015,” Husaini added.
The goal is also to educate the community on segregating solid waste, improve the economy of B40 families, instil a culture of valuing waste as a resource, and reduce the amount of solid waste sent to landfills.
From 2020 when it was implemented until last year, the programme has benefited 47.5% of residents at the 17 PPRs it has been operating in.
This means almost half of the 22,550 residents in all the 17 PPRs have used the programme to recycle their waste and receive cash.
On targets, Husaini said by 2025, SWCorp aims for 70% of premises, or 38,040 residents from the existing 17 PPR locations, to participate in the Kosis programme.
“This indirectly helps extend the lifespan of landfills while reducing the operational costs of landfills borne by the government,” he added.
SWCorp will eventually hand over the management of the Kosis Centres to the PPRs’ joint management body (JMB) or the local residents’ association once there is enough community awareness and involvement in recycling.
This aligns with the government’s vision of placing the responsibility of managing the centre’s daily operations on the local community.
“If any PPR is interested in establishing a Kosis Centre beyond the existing 17, the Housing and Local Development Ministry, through SWCorp, will provide advice, guidance, and support to the JMB or residents’ association to manage the Kosis Centre,” Husain said.
The Kosis Centre at Rumah Pangsa Jalan Hospital in Ipoh is currently considered the most successful with 283 units, or 48.05% of the occupied premises participating. – August 17, 2024