Adding Value to “Trash” at IPC’s Recycling and Buy Back Centre

 The decluttering, recycling, and upcycling trend has been building steadily since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have started to realise the importance of a spacious and comfortable environment as working and spending more time at home become a lifestyle. IPC Shopping Centre has established its Recycling and Buy-Back Centre (RBBC) to be a hub for sustainable waste disposal with the expansion of its recyclable range to support the community in their recycling journey. 

With the Green Campaign returning for the eighth year today, the #Panta Your Trash Away campaign will take place throughout April and May to encourage individuals and families to recycle their waste. Leveraging its Swedish heritage, IPC Shopping Centre has adopted the recycling style called ‘panta’, which means handing something in and getting money in return. In Sweden, it is common to deposit plastic bottles and aluminium cans in a collection machine at supermarkets and receive instant monetary rewards. 

During the campaign, shoppers will receive double rewards consisting of cash backs and exclusive gifts when they recycle a minimum weight (8kg) of paper, plastic, or aluminium at the RBBC. As a family-friendly shopping centre, IPC also encourages children to be involved in the Sma Club Warriors Recycling Program. Not only will children receive sticker badges as a token of recognition, they will also receive fun DIY kits to learn new ways to upcycle their recyclable materials, turning them into beautiful art pieces. This enriches their creativity and increases the bond with their parents or siblings as they build the recycling creation together.  

“Many Malaysians have taken it upon themselves to declutter their homes in the past year. However, the unwanted items often end up in the trash due to reasons that include the inconvenience of dropping them off at a recycling centre, many recycling centres only accepting certain types of waste, or lack of incentives for recycling. This results in the concerning level of pile up at landfills,” said Mark Tan, Marketing Manager of IPC Shopping Centre. 

“To combat this, we realise the importance of creating a convenient and conducive space to encourage our community to dispose of their waste sustainably. With the RBBC, we have collected waste as well as recyclable materials ranging from general waste to e-waste, fabric waste, and food waste to prevent them from ending up in the landfills. As a collective effort to a greener earth, the RBBC also serves to be a long-term avenue for our tenants such as Ben’s Independent Grocer (B.I.G.) and many others to sustainably dispose of recyclables from product packaging as well as food waste. In efforts to further become a one-stop destination for sustainable waste disposal, this year, we have also started accepting glass and Tetra Pak beverage cartons as recyclables at the RBBC.”

He added, “Sustainability has always been a big part of IPC Shopping Centre. We have introduced the cumulative recycling system during this campaign so that shoppers can be rewarded anytime throughout the two months when they have dropped off a sufficient amount of paper, plastic, and aluminium. We hope that with the extended recyclable categories and added incentives from the campaign, individuals and families will be able to create new habits and memories as they declutter their homes and recycle the waste at the RBBC.”

IPC Shopping Centre is a Green Building Index certified shopping centre. Their continuous efforts to reduce environmental footprint through the RBBC and its sustainable way of managing the centre has been implemented since its redevelopment in 2017. Other efforts include:

• Solar panels and energy-saving bulbs installation to minimize electricity consumption 

• Rooftop rainwater harvesting system for irrigation

• Real plant landscape inside the centre to regulate temperature

• Recycle bins within the centre to encourage shoppers to do their part for the environment

Recognised for these continuous innovations and improved efforts, IPC Shopping Centre has also been recently awarded as EdgeProp Malaysia’s Best Managed and Sustainable Property Awards (BNPA) for the retail category.

Hence, during the duration of the #Panta Your Trash Away campaign, shoppers can redeem the following rewards when they: 

1. Collect stamp card from i-Counter located at Level G of IPC Shopping Centre, drop off recyclables at the RBBC located at the car park near Ladies Parking, Level P1, and collect receipts during each recycling trip.

a. RBBC opens from 10am to 6pm.

b. Buy-back prices are subjected to the types of waste, materials, and weight. Exact rates of accepted waste can be found at IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre and IPC Shopping Centre’s website. 

c. Visitors are encouraged to separate their recyclables according to types of waste.

2. Show the collective receipt(s) at the i-Counter to redeem exclusive rewards:  

a. Redeem one (1) RM10 B.I.G e-voucher | With a minimum of 8kg paper, plastic, or aluminium.

b. Redeem one (1) RM10 B.I.G e-voucher, and one (1) collapsible lunchbox | With a minimum of 12kg recyclables. 

c. Redeem one (1) collapsible lunchbox | With a minimum of five (5) trips worth of food waste regardless of weight exclusive for IPC Tack Club members. 

d. Redeem one (1) DIY art kit and one (1) sticker badge | With a minimum of 1kg recyclables exclusive for Sma Club members.

For more information about the Green campaign and the Recycling & Buy-Back Centre, visit IPC Shopping Centre’s website or download the IPC mobile app for free on Apple App Store or Google Play Store.