Sorting facility along Sg Klang to stem pollution

The Star

3 days ago

Ching (right) and Abd Hamid (red shirt) watching excavators removing river debris along Sungai Klang to be sent to the facility. — AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
Centre focuses on separating waste manually, recycling plastics collected by interceptor
A RIVER plastic waste sorting facility along Sungai Klang, Selangor, was unveiled in efforts to cut down plastic waste going into landfills.
The facility located along Sungai Klang, will separate recyclable wastes collected by a rubbish-collecting vessel from the river.
The vessel – Interceptor 002 – then releases the waste into a log boom, which are then picked up by excavators and sent to the facility to be sorted manually.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Ching Thoo Kim, who attended the facility's launch, said it was the first such centre by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup.
The project by The Ocean Cleanup is in collaboration with its partners Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB), J&K Wonderland Foundation and Coca-Cola Malaysia.
Klang mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain, who launched the facility yesterday, said it demonstrated the possibilities when multiple stakeholders came together with a common goal.
The in-house set-up will sort waste collected with LLSB stepping in as the operator.
LLSB was appointed by Selangor government as the main driver of the Selangor Maritime Gateway, aimed at carrying out cleaning, development and conservation activities for Sungai Klang.
LLSB managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin said sorting facility was aimed at maxi- mising recycling outcomes and create job opportunities for the locals.
'A team of full-time workers are stationed at the site to sort waste by hand, separating recyclables such as plastic and aluminium from organic and non-recyclable waste.
'This sorting process aims to contribute to more sustainable and efficient waste management practices,' he added.
Syaiful Azmen said the project also explored new applications for the recovered materials, with additional support from partners CNH Industrial and Orca Cika Malaysia.
'Both partners are working to repurpose materials into alternative products such as construction materials, granules and pellets thus reinforcing the project's commitment to circularity and innovation.'
The Ocean Cleanup rivers director Marco Piet said the facility would help improve management of rubbish and stop waste reaching the sea.
The Coca-Cola Company Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei franchise operations senior director Amanda Lin said removing plastics from Sungai Klang was part of its broader partnership with The Ocean Cleanup in South-East Asia to help prevent plastic waste from flowing into the ocean.