Kuala Lumpur: It takes commitment to complete a task or achieve an objective.
It was an approach in which DuPont Malaysia Sdn. Bhd, a science based company , responded to the Government’s call to promote recycling an sustainable growth in the country.
In just a span of two years when it embarked on the Environment Protection Programme for Outdoor Advertising (EPPOA) in 2002- In which it collected 30,000 kg of used Tyvek banners and signs from the contractors –the company was able to recycle20 percent of those banners and signs.
Tyvek is a protective material manufactured by the 202-year-old company in making banners and signs.
The banners and signs from some eight participating companies, including multinationals , were recycled with the help of the local company.
Hence, it has produced some constructions materials or panels.
“Today, what you see is good finishing,”said DuPont managing director Dr. A. Hapiz Abdullah at a media briefing on EPPOA in Subang yesterday.
“The panels can be used to build parts of houses as was the case in Sungkai,Perak , where a house was built with such material two years ago.So there is no need to cut trees.”
Hapiz acknowledged that without the Government’s support for the programme,including selling these panels , their efforts will not achieve the end results.
“We are in a dilemma partly because our efforts depend on recycling.Beyond that we need the Government’s muscle to push forward and other parties also must come up to collaborate,” said Hapiz.
“After all, these panels can even be used as garden benches which can weather the sun and rain.”
He said the company is able to do “more collection” if these items are able to sell.
“ We do not make any money from these programme in which we have pumped in RM120 000,”said Hapiz.
Meanwhile, DuPont’s (Tyvek Graphics and Envelopes) segment manager Daniel Lim said the housing industry and the local authorities need to support them on this recycling programme.
“We agree to work with the housing industry together with the local authorities in promoting recycling,” said Lim.
Since 2002 , the company was able to achieve 20 percent in terms of collecting and recycling the banners and signs using Tyvek material compared to the Government’s recycling rate of three percent.
“We are now targeting to increase our recycling rate to 50 percent by 2006 while the Government aims to achieve 20 percent by the year 2020,”said Lim ,adding that there is potential for recycling of these items which would otherwise be found in dumpsites.
