You are getting ready to move to your new home, congratulations! or you just Maria Kondo aka KonMari your entire house, practising minimalist living, spark joy. Items like food scraps old furniture to old appliances, quickly pile up and becoming overwhelming. You need to get rid of it fast.
Hit the pause before you call anyone to get rid of your waste. It is important to take some steps to ensure you are disposing of your waste in a safe and responsible manner.
Here are the 7 things to do before you throw out your household waste.
1. Organized
It takes time to organized. Give yourself about 2-5 days to organized the unwanted items, it would depend solely on how much unwanted items you have.
Smaller items pack in cardboard boxes such as cutlery, clothes and many others. While the bigger items can be allocated into a different part of the home for ease of pickup.
2. Separate the recyclables.
The Malaysian government seeks to increase the recycling rate of household waste to 40 percent under the Twelfth Malaysia Plan (12MP). The five-year development roadmap plan spanning from year 2021 to year 2025, in line with the National Cleanliness Policy 2019 to reduce waste pollution as well as to promote the circular economy and waste to wealth initiatives. We are hoping to emulate the recycling level would similar to countries such Japan or Germany.
Before throwing out any items, separate those which are recyclable from non-recyclables. Items like cardboard, paper, glass, metals, by separating them and deposit it into the nearest recycling centre so it would not sent to the landfill, which would take years to decompose. Hazardous waste such as dead batteries, florescent lights need to be to be safely dispose.
3. Donate usable items
Before throwing it out such as clothes, books, cutlery, furnishings. Perhaps you may consider giving it away to friends or family. Donate it to the Non-Profit Organisation for women and children, BLESS store, Community Recycle for Charity (CRC) box or Kloth Cares for unusable cloth. Wash and clean before you deliver the used clothes. Books to Salvation Army aka Red Shield Industries, or local library or even join the Facebook group call KL Book Exchange if you are in Klang Valley or Penang Book Exchange for those in Penang, the idea is to exchange your old books for a new old books. The exchange is done on a monthly basis.
An alternative option which is selling your used items thru Carousell, Facebook Marketplace or Mudah.my for monetary value.
a) Old furniture or appliance
This is a tricky one. If the furniture is a solid wood, then it is likely someone will be willing to pick up from you for free and no monetary exchange is expected it’s like a Craigslist.
In Malaysia, you can try the Facebook Group such as Beli Nothing Project Klang Valley or the Salvation Army aka Red Shields Industries. Unearth store has a concept of selling the old furniture on your behalf, you can reach out to them thru Carousell or thru their website.
While for old appliances, you may offer it to Facebook group called Kaki Repair by Kaki DIY, some kaki DIY are adventurous to try repairing for their own use.
Do what is right by posting the information in detail about the flaws and broken furniture or appliances to be given away. A totally broken furniture such as a shattered table glass and there is no way to repair or rescuing, then bin it.
b) E-waste
Old electronics that can be used such as laptop or computer before you hand it off to recycle, please wipe clean all your data.
Consider donating it to a Non-Profit Organisation named Medical Awareness Camp Outreach (MACO) Facebook, they will refurbish the old laptop or computer with the help of the volunteers to needy school children for their school use. Do check them out thru their Facebook as proof of their donations.
Facebook: Medical Awareness Camp Outreach MACO
maco.malaysia
C) Food
Canned food within shelf live, please consider donating it to the nearest food bank such as Sunway Food Bank, Yayasan Food Bank, Kechara Soup Kitchen, your local food bank such as some mini marts or gas stations. For any type of expired canned food or food in packages, please bin.
For food scrap, we recommend try compost food waste is the eco-friendly way to dispose. Compositing turns food scraps into nutrient-rich soil, can be used for your garden.
D) Garden plants and trees
Don’t throw it out. Consider giving it away your unwanted plant to a garden enthusiastic within your neighbourhood, your networks of friends and family or you can reach out to Facebook group such as Malaysia Gardeners, Plants & Gardens (Malaysia), Gardening Friends Malaysia some garden enthusiast may adopt those garden plants from you, to be re-home or you can take your old live “old plant” to KL Book Exchange for another live plant.
4. Mouldy items
Bin all mouldy items unable to salvage, repurpose, or even recycle. Those goes straight to the bin.
5. Repurpose items
Repurpose items for another use. Example turning those old t-shirts as rags for cleaning, or a pillow cover. Glass jars can be use as a pencil storage, or as a kitchen storage jars such holding herbs for your kitchen use. Outdated fashion can be upcycled to a newly updated shirt. You can get some ideas from Facebook group such as Repurpose + Upcycle = Inspiration or Upcycle and Repurpose. Lots of Pinterest ideas can be found as well.
6. Review
what is left over after recycling and giving it away, or repurpose the items. Catalogue it by taking pictures.
7. Do your homework
on which waste management company or individual you want to take away your household waste. Don’t get scammed! You can read our post on Don’t get scammed by unscrupulous waste disposal guy
8. Make that phone call
to organised a reliable pickup waste disposal company. An estimate would be given base on the space that it would occupy in the waste bin. Remember pay only after the pickup is done.
A suggestion: It is advisable to do a half yearly spring cleaning to get rid of your old stuff so you would not overwhelm with the waste built-up and reclaim back your space.
The Objective Of Cleaning Is Not Just To Clean, But To Feel Happiness Living Within That Environment
