THE Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has come out with a textile waste recovery programme in partnership with the Life Line Clothing Malaysia (LLCM), marking a major step in the state’s push towards a circular economy.
At the launch and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony today, MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said Penang generates an average of 800 tonnes of waste daily, of which 45% is recycled while the rest is sent to landfills.
“Every year, tonnes of clothing, fabric and other textiles end up in landfills, where they take years to decompose and contribute to environmental pollution. This is not just a waste of resources; it is a loss of opportunity,” Rajendran said.
Although textile waste makes up only about two per cent of Penang’s total waste composition, Rajendran said separating it from the mainstream will ease the environmental and economic burden.
Based on similar programmes carried out by LLCM in Johor, Selangor and Melaka, Penang is projected to recover 421,200 kilograms of textile waste annually.
Through the collaboration, 49 pink textile recycling bins have been placed around the island to encourage public participation.
Rajendran said he hoped the number of collection points would increase with support from the private sector.
“I would like to sincerely thank Dale Warren and Life Line Clothing for stepping forward to collaborate with us,” he said.
Rajendran stressed that the initiative also aims to educate the community on building a greener, cleaner and more sustainable Penang.
LLCM chief executive officer Dale Warren said the partnership would give textiles a chance by ensuring that clothing and fabrics are reused, recycled and returned into the resource chain instead of being discarded.
“The purpose of this agreement, and the programme it supports, is to establish a separate and convenient collection system for textiles. We are creating a pathway for them to be reused, recycled, and kept within the circular economy,” Warren said.
He also thanked MBPP officers and councillors who facilitated the placement of bins across the island.
Also present were state Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman H’ng Mooi Lye, MBPP secretary Cheong Chee Hong and LLCM national manager Mohamad Zaki Suratman.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Alissala Thian