SEREMBAN, April 12 (Bernama) -- SWM Environment Sdn Bhd (SWM Environment) has urged the public to rinse out and reuse plastic containers being used in food and drink packaging to reduce waste throughout Ramadan.

Its general manager Mohd Norlisam Mohd Nordin said this is one way of reducing the use of single-use plastics, apart from encouraging shoppers to bring their own food and drink containers to the Ramadan bazaar.

"This is in line with being thrifty and promoting a moderate lifestyle besides learning to adapt to a  greener lifestyle during Ramadan.

"In addition, plastic waste which have been cleaned can be recycled to provide cash back incentives to the public through KITARecycle programme," he said in a statement here today.

He said 13,169 kilogrammes of plastic waste were successfully collected as of last February through the state’s KITARecycle programme including through the KITARecycle drive-in facility, government and private agencies.

Mohd Norlisam said apart from promoting local economic activity, the programme could help achieve Malaysia’s target of 40 per cent recycling rate  by 2025.

He said the usage of single-use plastic products among the public should be given serious attention because plastic materials take a long time to decompose and they contribute to microplastics waste and pollution.

According to a solid waste composition study by SWCorp in 2020, as much as 22.7 per cent of plastic waste were generated by the public, food waste (34.5 per cent) and used diapers (12.8 per cent).

Meanwhile, he said those interested in recycling plastic materials can participate in the KITARecycle digital recycling programme by redeeming reward points for cash online.

“All they need to do is to download the KITARecycle application on a smartphone or visit https://portal.kitarecycle.com to register as a member for free,” he added

-- BERNAMA