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Practice Details

Title of Practice:	3Rs Partnership Project
Year:	2012
BPTag:	Best Practice
Reference Number:	MYS055-12
City / Town / Village:	Kuantan Pahang
Region:	Asia & Pacific
Country:	Malaysia
Has this practice been submitted previously?	No
Previous Title:
Address:	Kuantan Municipal Council YH. Dato’ Haji Zulkifli bin Haji Yaacob President Kuantan Municipal Council Jalan Tanah Putih 25100 Kuantan Pahang Malaysia Fax: +6095161273 Phone: +6095121500 Email: zulkifli@mpk.gov.my
Name of Contact Person:	Suhaliah binti Ali
Email of Contact Person:	suhaliah@mpk.gov.my
Summary:	3Rs Partnership Project is a coalition between Kuantan Municipal Council, Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd,and Kuantan Local Agenda 21. The project has been working actively with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), the Department of Education Malaysia, Fraser and Neave (F&N) Beverages Sdn. Bhd. and more than five hundreds 3Rs interest groups (RIGs). The total participants are50,000. The main priority of the project is to increase recycling rate up to 40% by the year 2020. The objectives of the project are: 1) to raise public awareness on 3Rs; 2) to strengthen an integrate project implementation between various agencies and stakeholders; 3) to reduce environmental impact on waste disposal and prolong the operating life of the Municipality landfill; and 4) to provide employment opportunities through income generation from the sale of recyclables. The partners and stakeholders have participated closely and actively in the planning,decision making process, formulating strategies and implementing programmes. The approaches are based on focused Mechanism, Awareness and Market (MAM). In 2011, the amount of recyclable waste in Kuantan was approximately 51,100 tonnes a year, 39.9%from the total amount of the domestic waste. This implies that recycling rate in Kuantan is 34.9% higher than the national average. Previously, the solidwaste disposal at the landfill was 0.7 kg/capita/day, at present it has beenreduced to 0.42 kg/capita/day. In 2011, the municipality has saved US$700,000.00 which is 10% of its annual cost in solid waste management. In addition, the waste minimisation has extended the life span of the Municipality landfill which is supposed to be shut down by the year 2009 has got a new lifeline till 2019. The project has improved people’s living conditions particularly by providing employment and economic opportunities for voluntary groups, local charities and scrap recycling companies. Other benefits from this project are changes in social behaviour and environmental awareness among the people in Kuantan as well as fostering strong integration and networking between various agencies and stakeholders. Sustainable waste management has created a sustainable city which led Kuantan to the award winning ASEAN Sustainable Cities 2010 and the International Awards for Liveable Communities 2011 for Whole City Awards.
Key Dates:	15 January 2008:The launch of 3Rs Partnership Project. 1 Jun 2008:The launching of 25 School Programmes (Club 25) 29 March 2009:he launching of Glass Collection Centre 23 May 2009:Collaboration Programme with Scrap Recycling Companies 29 July 2010:Collaboration Programme with F&N Beverages Sdn. Bhd.
Norminating Organization Details
Name of Organization:
Contact Person:
Type of Organization:	Local Authority

Partners:

Name of Organization	Address	Contact Person	Organisation Type	Type of Support
Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd.	B2, Tingkat 1, Jalan IM 3/10 Indera Mahkota 25200 Kuantan Fax: +6095737773 Phone: +6095732930	Mohd. Sofian bin Othman, msofian @alamflora.com	Private Sector	Financial Support, Administrative Support
Kuantan Local Agenda 21	Kuantan Local Agenda 21 Centre Kuantan Municipal Council Jalan Tanah Putih 25100 Kuantan Pahang Malaysia Fax: +6095158214 Phone: +6095121600	Haslinda binti Hassan, haslinda @mpk.gov.my	Community-Based Organisation	Financial Support, Administrative Support
Ministry of Housing and Local Government	Wisma UOA Pantai No. 11 Jalan Pantai Jaya 4/83 A 59200 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Fax: +60322459394 Phone: +60322459285	Ismail bin Mohamed, ismail.mohamed @sisa.my	Central Government	Financial Support
Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA)	Chief Technical Advisor DANIDA (Solid Waste Management Component) Ministry of Housing and Local Government Level 4, Blok B North, Pusat Bandar Damansara 50644 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Fax: +60320934089 Phones: +60320959462	IB Larsen, Not Provided	International Agency	Financial Support, Technical Support
F&N Beverages Sdn. Bhd.	Pengurus Hal Ehwal Korporat Nasional F&N Beverages Marketing Sdn. Bhd. No. 1 Jalan Bukit Belimbing 26/38 Persiaran Kuala Selangor, Seksyen 25 40400 Shah Alam, Selangor Malaysia Fax: +60351923957 Phone: +60351014288	Dato’ Haji Kamal bin Harun, Not Provided	Private Sector	Financial Support, Technical Support

Category
Technology, Tools and Methods

Narrative:

Situation Before the Initiative Began:

Based on the data produced by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia (MHLG), solid waste generation in Kuantan has been increasing at the rate of 11% annually due to population growth and rapid urbanisation. In 2007, Kuantan generated over 110,000 tonnes a year of waste or 350 tonnes per day (0.7 kg/capita/day). With the aim to counter problems relating to environmental degradation, increasing cost in waste management and issues of landfill, Kuantan Municipal Council introduced the Waste Minimisation Programme in 1998 to promote waste reduction and recycling. However within the period of ten years, the annual recycling rates have only increased marginally from 5 to 7% of the total solid waste. In 2008, a comprehensive strategy on waste minimisation programme called 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycling) Partnership Project was embarked by Kuantan Municipal Council.

Establishment of Priorities:

3Rs Partnership Project is a coalition between Kuantan Municipal Council, Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd, (local concessionaire for solid waste management and public cleansing) and Kuantan Local Agenda 21. The Municipality also has been working actively with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia, Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), the Department of Education Malaysia and Fraser and Neave (F&N) Beverages Sdn. Bhd. (a private giant company) in promoting and carrying out programmes. It involves more than five hundreds 3Rs interest groups (RIGs) comprising community based organisations, schools, local charities, voluntary groups, NGOs, factories, shops, scrap recycling companies and individuals. The total participants are 50,000 and this represent 10% of the total population in Kuantan. The main priorities of the project are: 1) To minimise the amount of waste disposal; 2) To increase recycling rate up to 40% by the year 2020 which is 18% higher than the target in Malaysian National Strategic Plan for Solid Waste Management (NSP-SWM); and 3) To reduce waste generation at source.

Formulation of Objectives And Strategies:

The objectives of the project are: 1) To raise public awareness on 3Rs; 2) To strengthen and integrate project implementation between various agencies and stakeholders; 3) To reduce environmental impact on waste disposal and prolong the operating life of the Municipality landfill; and 4) To provide employment opportunities through income generation from the sale of recyclables.
Approaches in the formulation of objectives and strategies are: 1) Securitizing the present situation in Kuantan; 2) Conducting public survey to assess public awareness on 3Rs; and 3) Conducting workshops and brainstorming sessions among partners.

Mobilisation of Resources:

The main financial resource for the project comes from the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia with an aid amounting US$100,000.00. It is mainly allocated for the provision of 3Rs infrastructures and facilities. In addition to this, a grant of US$40,000.00 was channelled by DANIDA in 2008 through Solid Waste Management Component Community Initiatives Fund for organising glass recycling programme, alongside technical assistance. Other financial resources are from Kuantan Municipal Council, Alam Flora Sdn. Bhd, and Kuantan Local Agenda 21.
3R interest groups (RIGs) comprising F&N Beverages Sdn. Bhd., community based organisations, schools, local charities, voluntary groups, NGOs, factories, shops, scrap recycling companies and individuals. They took part in designing, planning, developing, monitoring and contributing in carrying out various programmes pertaining to the achievement of goals under the 3R projects. Alongside, website and a special headquarter were established by Kuantan Municipal Council in order to enable partners and general public to access the development of the project and to interact closely at all time to ensure that paramount outcome from the project can be derived.

Process:

A basic study was carried out by Kuantan Municipal Council serving as a platform to assess present situation in waste minimisation and the level of awareness and practices of the people of Kuantan pertaining to waste management. Based on the study, Lack of public awareness was one of the major challenges identified, socio economic, culture and behaviour and Lack of resources in terms of finance and human capital were also posted as serious challenges. Kuantan Municipal Council therefore established the basic framework for the 3Rs Partnership Project to tackle these challenges and from this, the role of partners, stakeholders and RIGs were clearly identified.
Brainstorming sessions and workshops in the planning and decision making process followed with the view of formulating and innovating strategies to achieve the desired outcomes. It is from these sessions that the partners were able to identify an appropriate approach based on focused Mechanism, Awareness and Market (MAM).
Approaches on Mechanism (M) involve the location of user friendly recycling facilities throughout the city especially in residential and commercial areas. The facilities include 100 drop-off stations, 56 collection centres, storages, containers, bins, machineries and equipments. In addition, cost-effective collection services are also introduced by assigning 15 registered recyclable collectors in 15 respective areas.
Currently, the project also encompasses various ongoing programmes and activities targeting the community at large. They include; Buy-Back Activities, Kit’s Programmes, Door-to-Door Collection Programmes, Station Collection Activities, Waste-Wise Programmes, On-Call Programmes and Joined Tetra Pak Recycling Carton Programmes. Kuantan has also introduced Days without Plastic Programme commencing from July 2010 with the target of 20% reduction in total use of plastic bags annually.
Under the 3Rs Partnership Project, Kuantan Municipal Council in particular has supported the scrap recycling companies through the provision of incentives in the form of Fast track construction approval, lowered licensing fee and collection assistance to the collectors. This has led to the increased number in scrap collection centres from 3 in 2007 to 30 in 2011. Notably, Kuantan is the first local authority in Malaysia that has participated in the Glass Recycling Programme in collaboration with Ministry of Housing and Local Government and DANIDA
In the year 2010 and 2011, 5% of the total amount of recyclables came from the segregation of waste at the Municipality landfill. The contractors (scavengers) were appointed by the Municipality to perform the segregation activities.
Approaches on Awareness (A) include: 3Rs Partnerships Project conducts weekly education programmes involving 25 schools (Club 25) and monthly community awareness programmes involving 120 neighbourhood committees and residential associations. The awareness programmes stage competitions, art contests, games, handicraft activities, campaigns, lectures, seminars, exhibitions and site visits. F&N Beverages Sdn. Bhd. has prominently appeared to be extremely participative in our awareness programmes since 2010. To further attract public awareness towards waste minimisation and improve city cleanliness, the Municipality has introduced the Zero-Waste Zone in the city centre. Signages and banners have been installed and displayed at various locations to educate people on sustainable waste disposal.
Approaches on Markets (M) include: 3Rs Partnership Project has taken serious efforts to create market demand by: 1) Promoting public awareness on purchasing goods made from recycled materials; 2) Expanding networking with the local buyers and international markets; and 3) Encouraging new development of industries and technology on recycling product by providing incentives.
Data collections from all of sources and monthly reports on the amount of recyclables are prepared and monitored by the 3Rs unit, which have been significantly used for assessing performance.

Results Achieved:

Financial: The costs of facilities and infrastructures development have been recovered through income generation from the selling of recyclables and reduction in waste management. The total financial cost for the project is approximately estimated at US$299,000.00, whereas the total return based on current market value has presently reached US$20.4 million (51,000 tonnes recyclables x 1000 kg x US$ 0.10 x 4 years).
Social and Economic: The project creates numerous jobs opportunities such as collectors, drivers and companies’ workers. It also has contributed to poverty reduction in Kuantan City and promoted social equality and equity.
Environmental: Waste minimisation has implicated significant impact on the environment with less pollution and less consumption of resources. Sustainable waste management has created a sustainable city environment which led Kuantan to the award winning ASEAN Sustainable Cities 2010 and the International Awards for Liveable Communities 2011 for Whole City Awards (Silver Award/Third Place for Category D Population 150,000 to 400,000).
Institutional: Every stage of the project ranging from planning, decision making, and implementation to monitoring are undertaken with transparent and participative approaches. Clear roles and well planned strategies contributed to efficient utilisation of resources financially and technically apart from effective mobilisation of human resources. The project has also empowered the communities in Kuantan.

Lessons Learned:

One of the major lessons learned is that increasing public awareness on environmental issues is a difficult task. The awareness on sustainable waste minimisation must therefore be inculcated among the younger generation via education in schools and through extra mural activities. Furthermore, the approaches on awareness programmes have to be done using different methodologies, taking into account response from the target audience. The objectives should be: 1) To provide knowledge on global environment and consequences of human activities on environment; and 2) To create a feeling of empathy with nature.
The public are mainly interested in segregating and selling recyclable items that can be able to generate income due to income disparities. This factor has been taken into consideration in determining appropriate approaches to educate people based on their necessity.
The market demand is one of the vital aspects that support the recycling activities. The low market prices and fluctuations in sales value of some items such as used glass bottles and plastic wastes tend to discourage recycling activities. Kuantan has taken a gigantic step in exploring the potential for the glass project. The project should be expanded throughout national and international market. These can be realised by giving special incentive to encourage companies exploring new technology on recycling product.
Integration and networking among 3Rs partners and stakeholders are very important in determining the success of the programmes. The Municipality has gained significant experience and lessons from Kuantan Local Agenda 21 on how to coordinate various agencies and stakeholders. In 2011, the Municipality has also applied the same approach for a new river conservation project.
Capacity building is an integral component in all programmes and activities. The involvement of different entities at different levels of project implementation indicates that different skills on teaching and organising, knowledge on environment and relevant technology must be enhanced among partners and stakeholders.

Transfers:

Kuantan Municipal Council has promoted this successful project through media, knowledge sharing sessions with other municipalities and benchmarking programmes. In 2011, Kuantan has carried out a comparative study and benchmarked Phitsanulok Municipality, Thailand. Kuantan has also exchanged the practice between other local authorities through the Local Government Development Foundation (LOGODEFF) Networking and the Asian Urban Information Centre of Kobe (AUICK) Japan Programme. Papers on sustainable waste management relating to 3Rs Partnership Project were presented in many national and international conferences and seminars. The project was also discussed during the Eco-efficiency for Local Government Workshops at United Nation Training and Research (UNITAR), Korea in Jun 2011 involving 15 countries. In November 2011, Kuantan Municipal Council has participated in the International Awards for Liveable Communities 2011 which was held in Songpa, Korea. The Whole City Report was presented and shared among 65 cities from all over the world. Kuantan was awarded Silver Award and Third Place for Whole City Award (Category D Population 150,000 to 400,000) for its best practices in landscape, arts culture and heritage, environment particularly in waste and water management, healthy lifestyle and strategic planning.
In December 2011, Kuantan Municipal Council had again promoted the 3Rs Partnership Project in the National Conference on Health and Environment which was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia. Most of the local authorities have shown their interests towards our practices. Since then, Kuantan Municipal Council has been visited by several local authorities such as Subang Jaya Municipalities and Putrajaya Corporation.
3Rs Partnership Project is replicable to other local authorities’ especially small municipalities due to uncomplicated and cost-effective approaches. Kuantan is the first Local Authority to embark on Glass Recycling Programme and Zero Waste Zone Programme. In Zero Waste Zone Programme, Kuantan Municipal Council has introduced several innovation approaches such as no bins provided within the zone and delegation of enforcement duties to all the Municipal employees. Several local authorities have replicated this programme within their respective city. Temerloh Municipality and Pekan District Council have implemented similar programme since mid 2011.

Related Policies:

At national level, this project is supported by the Solid Waste Act (Act 672) and Guidelines on Waste Minimization formulated by the Ministry of Housing and LocalGovernment Malaysia.

This project has been strongly supported by the State and Federal Government. New guidelines have been formulated by Kuantan Municipal Council to further promote 3Rs programme.The guidelines are: 1) 3R Guideline on Bin Allocation In Residential, Commercial, Institutional and Industrial Area (Department of Planning and Development); 2) Guideline for Enhancement of 3Rs Activities in School (Department of Community and Public Affair); 3) Guideline for Source Segregation at Municipal Landfill (Department of Environment); 4) Guideline For 3Rs Collection By Companies (Department of Environment); and 5) Procedures on Scrap Yard Licensing (Department of Business Development).

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