BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

LOCAL recycling company Daikyo Environmental Recycling Sdn Bhd has recorded a marked increase in its sourcing of recyclable materials owing to a rise in contributing companies.

The general increase in waste collected, said the company’s site manager, was due to more companies such as Brunei Shell Petroleum and Total E&P Borneo BV signing for Daikyo to receive their recyclables.

“We would receive metal and plastic pipes from them among other things which we would sell for re-use which is popular among buyers because it’s cheaper compared to buying a new one,” James Hung said.

The recyclables include papers, plastics, metals, nylon bags and electronic waste, he told The Brunei Times in a recent interview.

Hung went on to say that all recyclable materials sold to local and foreign customers – either for them to re-use or further recycle into new materials - are increasing in demand as resources are “more scarce” nowadays.

“For example, not that we recycle wood, but countries like Indonesia and Malaysia would limit their logging for forest preservation. This prompts them to resort to buying recycled wood from companies who produce them (recycled wood). The same goes for other recyclable materials,” Hung said.

In a report by Daikyo to be presented to the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe), 47,000 tonnes of metals was collected in 2015 - a 17.5 per cent increase from 40,000 tonnes in 2014.

In 2013, 35,000 tonnes of metal were collected by the company.

“This includes ferrous (containing iron) and non-ferrous metals – so aluminum would also go in this category,” said the site manager.

Last year, a total off 3,500 tonnes of plastic bottles were collected, up from 2,500 tonnes in 2014. In 2013, Daikyo received 2,000 tonnes of plastic bottles.

Paper waste collected last year was 7,700 tonnes compared to 7,000 tonnes in 2014 with 6,700 tonnes collected in 2013.

However, the number of nylon bags (mainly gunny sacks) has remained the same throughout the years since the company first started collecting the bags from cement companies in 2005.

Daikyo collects 1,000 tonnes of nylon bags annually.

“For the nylon (gunny sacks), the number is constant yearly because we get the fixed number of bags from our agreement (with foreign buyer who requested for this specific amount),” said Hung.

The Brunei Times