PETALING JAYA, June 18 — Sunway Putra Mall recently added another green initiative when they teamed up with Kloth Cares to set up a recycling corner in the mall’s carpark.
Kloth Cares, a social entrepreneurship movement aimed at keeping fabrics out of landfills, stated that Malaysians produce almost 2,000 tonnes of textile waste a day, which mainly comprise of fabrics and old clothes.
Textile waste makes up five per cent of the solid waste in landfills, releases methane gas as it decomposes, and the dyes and chemicals in the fabrics seep into the soil over time as well, contaminating rivers, waterways and water used for consumption as well.
The joint initiative, which kick-started in February at Sunway Putra Mall, aims to provide shoppers and members of the public with an environmentally friendly way to dispose of their textile waste at the Basement 1 (B1) level of the mall’s carpark.
“The core objective behind providing a ‘Recycle Corner’ in the mall is to promote the importance of recycling to shoppers,” said Sunway Putra Mall general manager, Phang Sau Lian in a press release.
Since February, the “fabric bin” at the mall collected over 2,000 kilogrammes of unwanted fabric, including 12,000 old T-shirts.
The recycled fabrics are then distributed to Life Line Clothing Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the Selangor Youth Community to either be, repurposed into wiping cloths, blankets, rugs, handbags and other fashionable items—depending on the condition of the fabric.
Fabrics in better condition are donated to underprivileged communities around Malaysia and other third-world countries too, while fabrics that can no longer be repurposed will be shredded and used to make biofuel.
Retail outlets like Monki, H&M and Levi’s have also joined in on the movement as they have begun placing fabric bins in their stores as well.
And there’s no “exclusivity” about the bins either as the stores accept any brand of clothing and textile, in any type of condition.
For more information about Sunway Putra Mall’s new “Recycle Corner” surf over to their official website at www.sunwayputramall.com or call +603-2786 9300.
