PETALING JAYA, Nov 2 — The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) collected RM6.88 million from plastic bag charges as of September this year to support various environmental sustainability initiatives.
Petaling Jaya Mayor Dato' Mohd Yazid Sairi said 40 per cent of the total collection was channelled into MBPJ's trust account, while the remaining 60 per cent was handed over to the state government.
He said RM1.17 million from the collection had been used to implement 14 initiatives, including recycling programmes, environmental education and community awareness campaigns.
"The implementation of the Recycle and Redeem programme allows revenue from plastic bag charges to be translated into action at the community level, from reducing single-use plastic consumption to encouraging waste separation and recycling, while supporting local traders.
"MBPJ will continue to pursue community-based approaches to reduce waste sent to landfills, cultivate recycling habits and support Petaling Jaya's aspirations to become a low-carbon, sustainable and resilient city," he said at the council's 10th meeting of 2026 on October 30.
Through two phases of the Recycle and Redeem programme held in Taman Medan on June 28 and SS2 on July 1, a total of 750 participants collected 3,410kg of recyclable materials.
The Taman Medan programme attracted 350 residents who collected 1,251kg of recyclables, while 400 participants in SS2 collected 2,159kg.
The two programmes offered vouchers worth RM16,500 and RM18,000 respectively, bringing the total value of vouchers redeemed by participants to RM34,500.
MBPJ also plans to continue the initiative with a third phase to be held at the Section 3 farmers' market.
The programme is among the local authority's efforts to encourage community participation in recycling while using revenue from plastic bag charges to fund sustainability-related initiatives.
