A.

INTRODUCTION Recycling is the process of making or manufacturing new products from a product that has originally served its purpose. If these used products are disposed of in an appropriate, environmentally friendly way, the process of recycling has been set in motion. Items that are made from materials such as aluminum, plastic water bottles, and certain kinds of paper (plus many more) can be separated from your regular trash and put in an appropriate recycling bin. A large section of the universe is beginning to realize the importance of recycling. However, there are many members of the population that remain unaware or simply think it is too much of a bother. We believe the trend is growing, however. And we further believe that proactive individuals and alternative energy companies are beginning to step up in a big way. What do energy efficient cars, solar energy and water conservation have to do with recycling? All these movements were started to lessen the impact of damage we are inflicting on the environment. Side effects of not being aware of this impact are global warming, loss of beautiful space given up for landfills, not enough clean water to drink, loss of precious wildlife and plants, plus many more consequence that we are not even privy to yet. The time is now to become aware, to educate ourselves, to take action, and to educate others. It is our responsibility as inhabitants and co-creators of this planet if we hope to maintain the beauty of our surroundings.

i.

General Information about Recycle To begin, recycling is not very new. In fact, scientists believe that recycling may have begun when a stone age hunter splintered his flint axe and realized it would make great arrowheads. Today the industry of recycling is international. It is responsible for collecting, sorting, processing, and marketing a large range of materials. It is estimated that an exess 160 billion dollars is the turnover, a third of what is traded internationally. In Malaysia we produce 19,000 tones of waste every day, and a majority of that ends up in landfills. Malaysia currently has 230 landfill sights and 80% of them will reach capacity within the next two years, and with land for landfill sights being at a

premium there is soon going to be a big problem right on our doorsteps. To put in perspective 19,000 tonnes of rubbish ; if you piled it all up it would be as high as 36 Petronas Twin Towers, thats an awful lot of rubbish to deal with on a daily basis. Our task now is to try and reduce the amount of rubbish going into these landfills. If everybody does their little bit then it amounts up to a lot. Alam Flora Sdn Bhd has an extensive list on their website of all recycling centres in and around Kuala Lumpur.

ii.

Information on the Recycle Issue In base recycle on Malaysia has no specific law on the 3 Rs but it introduced a

national recycling programe in 2000. A target of reducing waste generation by 22% by the year 2020 has been set. Current recycling is estimated to be 35%. Malaysia spends more than USD28mil/year for importation of waste paper & a significant amount for waste plastic & waste glass. In Malaysia, unlike in the US, recyclables have yet to be listed and traded in the Malaysia Commodity Exchange. The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), for instance, has been trading recyclables since the mid 1990s. On 17 Oct 1995, CBOT opened the first Recyclables Exchange, an electronic market in used plastic milk containers, old newspapers and glass bottles. But like in other commodities, the trading of recyclables has also been affected by past and current economic downturns. Nonetheless, the sustainability of the market for recyclables is crucial in the whole scheme of recycling and thus, in solid waste management.