Are you a Weenie or a Greenie?

(Note : This post was scheduled to finish on August 19th for obvious reason stated in the post, but due to unforeseen circumstances - relocation to my parents' house while hubby's away, a bad flu and a demanding toddler - it can only be published today. Regards)


The latest Isetan newsletter cum mailer pays tribute to our Earth by promoting the use of 'eco-bags' and other cotton-made equivalents. This move is aimed at lessening the dependence on plastic shopping bags which take between 10 and 20 years to biodegrade.

While I heartily laud Isetan's move at creating environmental awareness to the masses, I know it is a quantum leap before most Malaysians are ready to be environmentally-conscious. To-date, many recycling centers have been installed in selected areas of Malaysia but they remain at best anachronistic and at worst idled. Ill-informed people just can't seem to make out what these derelict sites are for and to what purpose they serve - are they just cold monuments to prove our worth as a civilised society or emblematic of the lip service politicians pay to reel in the votes? Or do we carry on being the apathetic folks for as long as the law affords us?

Well, I shouldn't talk. Save for throwing items into the appropriate bins in the eco-friendly mall of Ikano Power Centre, I haven't indulged in any recycling efforts since I came back exactly a year ago today. (Wow August 19th 2007 was the date when we touched down in Malaysia).

Sadly, most of us Malaysians aren't brought up to recycle or reuse. It doesn't even exist in our vocabulary. Take for instance the upcoming Ramadan month which will take place in about 10 more days. In our crazy hunger, we will hoard food with abandon at the ubiquitous Ramadan Bazaars (liken to a food street hypermarket) happening all over the country. And predictably, post-Iftar the ones which we could no longer fill our mouths will go to waste.

To be sure, we are a waste-loading nation. But I sincerely believe our cultural mindset can be shifted, albeit one legislation at a time. Yeah, that's right. We need an effective blanket ruling on recycling if we are to succeed as an environmentally-forward country.

For one, our government can enlist the help of and get feedbacks from their diplomatic officials and representatives abroad as to the recommended ways to get our citizens 'actively' involved in recycling initiatives. This would be cheaper than hiring those consultants who charge our government millions merely for showing up on our shores.

How about the average citizens, like moi, who have some fantastic ideas to impart on the government with respect to the recycling issue? Surely there is an avenue through which we can engage the local MP to act on our behalf. Or are they too busy saving their own skin?

These improbabilities aside, I'd like to share my own recycling experience whilst living in the Netherlands. These measures, which have full governmental support, are living proofs that people can become environment-savvy when they have no other choice but to toe the line. With the laws staring them straight in the face, it is more advantageous - not to mention, profitable - for these ordinary folks to follow them. For me, Holland has made recycling such a cinch that I feel so good doing my part.

This is how it goes: (1) Whenever you purchase soda drinks in a can or plastic container, you'd initially be alarmed how relatively expensive these beverages are. (2) However, there is a reason as to why the price is high in the first place - to encourage recycling. (3) People return this PET bottle or can to a supermarket that carries this 'reverse vending machine' and in turn get a refund for each item that they turn in - 10 cents for a 300 ml glass bottle & 25 cents for a PET bottle, for instance. (4) They get this refund in a form of a receipt which can be used towards reducing the amount they have to pay at the checkout counter.

The reverse vending machine

Let's say you're recycling 5 PET soda drink bottles, so you'll get a refund receipt of €1.25 that is printed out at the vending machine at the end of your 'transaction'. You then go inside the supermarket to buy your rations and at the supermarket checkout your grocery shopping comes to a total of €5.50. You then present this tiny piece of receipt paper to the cashier who will duly scan it and deduct the refund amount from your total. In the end, you only have to pay €4.25.

Here's a video showing how the machine works:


The extra price added into these bottles and other 'recyclables' by both the drinks manufacturer and retailer is called 'Statiegeld' or a deposit. Retailers are motivated to add in the deposit price to the final product in order to get back the deposit from the manufacturer. This trickle-down effort at recycling ensures a high success rate as it induces the consumers to collect these bottles/cans for a greater grocery discount and the retailers to reclaim their deposit. As for the manufacturer, it can profit from selling these bottles for recycling. Else, it can re-use them for future production which helps to further lower the cost of manufacturing.

Now, isn't that just swell? We get to do our part of keeping the environment clean without much effort or hesitation.

However, I must add that not all cans and bottles has a 'Statiegeld' attached to them, i.e., the ones purchased at mom-and-pop, late-night-opening convenience stores which are a rarity in the Netherlands and more often than not, run by people of Turkish-descent or Indian-descent. To the uninitiated like me, it was exasperating to say the least trying to insert these plastic containers into the vending machine which kept spewing them back out. In such a case, it is better to utilise the municipal's curbside collection which operates once a week.

Back on the home front - that it will take a Herculean effort to get the project off the ground doesn't begin to describe the many obstacles facing this particular recycling scheme. Of course, there will be a politically-charged public outcry over the injustice inflicted by greedy capitalists. Huh? I'm not surprised if some naysayers will spin the whole truth off for the sake of appeasing the worrisome masses.

Yet, I have faith that through full and sincere government support, this recycling scheme will see even the cynical and the lazy lining up to get a 'fair' deduction on their grocery bill. Timing is of utmost important and considering the recent fuel hike, the powers-that-be need to strategise when and how to unveil such a plan. Again, we must bear in mind that some detractors will twist the whole recycling bid in view of the higher petrol prices.

I don't expect an overnight success to this method of recycling in Malaysia, but I'm confident that we will have more 'Ayes' than 'Nays' among our well-informed demographic.