KUALA LUMPUR: In the midst of a discussion on plastic waste, Federal Territories Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) director Ummi Kalthum Shuib whips out her phone to show her TikTok video.
Middle-aged with a friendly demeanor and an infectious lopsided grin, she is no aspiring influencer except in the cause of waste reduction.
In the short video, she is seen standing under a tent at the Ramadan bazaar in Putrajaya’s Precinct 3, reminding shoppers and sellers nearby to reduce the use of plastic bags.
“Imagine if you all brought recycling bags and didn’t ask for extra plastic (bags) from sellers. You would have saved landfills from becoming full. You’d be helping us,” she said in the video as shoppers walked past her.
Ummi Kalthum told Bernama she was disappointed to see only a few had brought reusable shopping bags. It was the same at the Ramadan bazaars Bernama visited. Most shoppers preferred to use the plastic bags and packaging the sellers gave them.
When asked what they would do with the plastic items, some said they would try to recycle them.
While the sentiment is laudable, most of these plastic bags and packaging are headed for the landfill, something the circular economy strategy is supposed to prevent.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/04/25/put-more-focus-on-reducing-reusing-plastic-instead-of-recycling-say-experts
Source: The Star
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