Recycle, resell, repair or relove – the green guide to moving house

• One of the biggest piles that end up as trash is when we move house, and if you don't know yet, they are one of the domestic causes of the heatwave.
• As we observe World Environment Day, let us make more effort to live sustainably.
• To make the task easier, EdgeProp.my has put together here a list of social enterprises where you can send your unwanted stuff for recycling, upcycling, repair or reuse, and even be rewarded for some of them. 

KUALA LUMPUR (June 5): The recent sweltering heatwave, along with sudden havoc-wreaking thunderstorms, has brought the effects of climate change too close for comfort for many of us in Asia, and Malaysia has not escaped them. 

Yes, the temperatures and tempests may be part of the weather markers of the inter-monsoon season, but what has caused us to shift in our seats is their record rise and rage. Even the most indifferent among us would realise these are symptoms of a sick Mother Earth. 

While it has been easier to blame the legislators, policy makers and even our next-nation neighbours for failing to arrest and address the tree-cutting, open burning and greenhouse emission, we tend to conveniently forget our own contribution to global warming. 

How so, you may ask?

It is when we mindlessly throw away our unwanted stuff, or what we term as solid waste. 

According to the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s website, “Solid waste contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions through the generation of methane from the anaerobic decay of waste in landfills, and the emission of nitrous oxide from our solid waste combustion facilities.  Both of these greenhouse gases have high global warming potential: methane has 21 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide has 310 times the warming potential”. 

And one of the biggest piles that end up as trash is when we move house. As we pack, we may discover things we no longer want, or we simply want out with the old and in with the new. 

However, every piece of paper, furniture, fabric or tool we send to the landfill is a shot of poison to our Mother Nature. 

In conjunction with World Environment Day on June 5, let us take some effort to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle individually, and so, collectively counter climate change.  

To make the task easier, EdgeProp.my has put together here a list of social enterprises where you can send your unwanted stuff for recycling, upcycling, repair or reuse, and even be rewarded for some of them. 

Join the circular economy – recycle for cash (or *other benefits)

Unlike a traditional linear economy where we take, make and waste resources, the circular economy aims to create value for the society, environment and economy, while reducing dependency on natural resources and creating opportunities for innovation and collaboration. 

Although the token returns may not be substantial, and in some resell shops, not everything you bring may be accepted, but, hey! It’s still something, and keep in mind it is about saving Mother Earth.

For example, Karun Hijau collects, segregates and disposes of your pre-loved items via its free Pay2Pick service, a recycling pickup service at a fee, depending on the size and weight of the items and the type of vehicle for collection. 

To book this recycling pickup service, you can snap a photo of the items that need to be collected and book a date and time for the pickup. The green rangers at Karun Hijau will then be at your doorstep to assist you with your pre-loved items that you want to discard.

After collection, any usable items will be either sold as second-hand or donated to charity organisations. In order to recreate the value of the collected pre-loved items, Karun Hijau also works together with local artisans such as TOTD, Sewing World, Arkitsn Wood Carving and Reimagine Plastic to upcycle or repurpose the items. The organisation also works with responsible recycling factories to recycle other recyclables items. 

Aside from the collection programme, the organisation also aims to nurture more green practitioners around the country by organising waste and recyclable workshops and offering assistance to companies who are keen to delve more in their Sustainable Development Goals.

During the Movement Control Order (MCO), Karun Hijau collaborated with Khind Starfish Foundation and Raleigh Kuala Lumpur to donate old smartphones and laptops to children who needed them for virtual lessons,  where they collected the items from all over West Malaysia at no cost.

For more options, check these out:

Note:

• CRM (common recyclable materials) – paper, cardboard, drink cartons, plastic, metal, aluminium, glass
• 3C – computers, communication and consumer electronic products (including faulty ones)
• Reusables – must still be in working condition

Donate to social enterprises

If you want a fuss-free way to handle your unwanted items without having any of them returned and without any returns, there are many social enterprises that find ways to reuse or repurpose them, and the profits are usually channelled to fund environmental or social programmes. 

Here are some of them:

Repair for keeps

A group of enthusiasts at KakiRepair teaches us how to fix our own stuff through a community Facebook page. They also organise group repair sessions by appointment and encourage the public to learn, diagnose, collaborate and fix the problems together, and thereafter sharing the knowledge with others. 

Upcycle for keeps

Upcycling is about turning our discarded items such as old furniture into new ones – giving them a new lease of life. 

Although it might cost a little more to hire an artisanal furniture maker, the upcycled piece will be a one-of-a-kind that can give a great rustic feel to our home design, while preserving our many good memories with it. 

Artisanal furniture maker, Lain, for example, can turn an old furniture piece into a whole new masterpiece. Lain was founded by Hani Ali, an accomplished furniture designer who was professionally trained at the renowned JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design in Australia, which handcrafted designer pieces from upcycled wood.

In fact, amidst an age where “technology reigns supreme”, Hani believes in “the power of a human’s two hands as a means to unleash limitless creativity”. 

More options on how or where to donate, resell or repair anything and everything

Zerowaste Malaysia is a community group that has put much more thought (than many of us) in recycling our unused items. In 2022, the non-profit organisation launched its Trash Encyclopedia, an online educational resource on proper disposal, recycling and reducing waste.

Additionally, Zerowaste has readily available handbooks on living sustainably through simple daily habits – from using a bamboo toothbrush to composting and growing our own food.

On its website, we will also find a “Zero Waste Resource Map” that comes in handy when we are looking for places to recycle, sell or buy sustainably in the Klang Valley and Putrajaya.