Plastic, rubber recycling industry picking up speed
PENANG, Mon. — An increasing number of factories in the plastics and rubber industries are recycling their wastes to lower operational costs.
Griptight (M) Sdn Bhd managing director Dr Peter C. Ebell said recycling of wastes, which is still in its infant stare, was "picking up speed’ with the rapid growth of industrialization. Recycling reduces costs while being environment-friendly, he told reporters after the opening of the two-day Seminar on Current Mixing Practices.
Ebell, who is seminar organizing committee deputy chairman, said legislation that promoted recycling had made it a lucrative option and manufacturers were beginning to recycle their products.
"There is one rubber factory in Klang where, through a chemical process the rubber waste is changed to its basic constituent and sold as reclaimed rubber. Other factories generate rubber dust which is sold to Japanese manufacturers who convert the dust to reclaimed rubber," he said.
He said it was easier to reclaim plastics than rubber.
On the booming plastic industry, he said the output had tripled over the last five years and was expected to double over the next couple of years.
He attributed the success of the industry to the ever-growing manufacturing sector in the country.
"Relocation of multi-national companies to this country has contributed to the growth as well. The plastic industry will increase in tandem with the manufacturing sector," he said.
Calling the success, a "runaway horse", Ebell said plastics has also replaced rubber to a certain extent, as more manufacturers prefer the use of plastics.
The seminar attended by 140 participants from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, was opened by Science, Technology and Human Resources Development Committee chairman Dr Kang Chin Seng.
In his speech, Kang said the rubber industry had undergone structural changes during the last two decades, where the country has lost its position as the number one natural rubber producer.
"However, the rubber industry has gone downstream and become more integrated," he said. Consumption of natural rubber has increased from 70,620 metric tonnes (mt) in 1985 to 210,000 mt in 1991.
Exports of rubber products have risen from RM396 million In 1986 to RM 2.39 billion in 1991.
"Malaysia is poised to achieve Its industrial master plan (IMP) consumption target of 308,000 mt natural rubber by 1995.
"The latex products sector now contributes some 80 per cent of our total export value of rubber -some per cent over its target," he said.
Source : February 16 1993
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