Crush-It by Kloth Lifestyle

Crush-It by Kloth Lifestyle

Crush-It by Kloth Lifestyle

In 2020, Malaysia was listed by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) as one of the largest consumers of plastic packaging other than China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, with only 15% of its plastic waste being safely disposed of. According to SWCorp 2019 data, plastic waste accounted for 24.8% of the total waste in the country’s landfills, with more ending up elsewhere on land, rivers and oceans.

To reduce the plastic waste problem in Malaysia, the idea of the Crush-It machine was developed to educate and encourage Malaysians to recycle their plastics and to develop the habit of separating plastic at the source. Through the Kloth Circular Plastic Recycling Movement, the Kloth team aims to engage Malaysians to keep plastic out of landfills and oceans, and one of the methods is by getting multi-stakeholders to adopt the Crush-It machine.

Mrs. Sangeeta Mohan Das, a Production Engineer, is the first Malaysian woman to produce a plastic reverse vending machine with a crusher, also known as the Crush-It machine. The Crush-It machine technology and prototype was developed to include many useful features to aid the recycling process based on her past experience as an owner of ​a plastic recycling facility. The Kloth team, on the other hand, assisted in the development of the machine's branding and aesthetics, as well as the machine's graphical user interface and user experience.

The plastic bottles and aluminium cans collected from here will be sent to selected licensed recyclers, who will recycle and process them into pellets and flakes that can be used to make new products. Plastic pellets are used to make plastic bottles and other packaging, while plastic flakes are used to make plastic straps, cushions, and toy stuffing. These items will then be sold in the marketplace, and this whole process creates a sustainable circular economy.

In 2020, Malaysia was listed by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) as one of the largest consumers of plastic packaging other than China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, with only 15% of its plastic waste being safely disposed of. According to SWCorp 2019 data, plastic waste accounted for 24.8% of the total waste in the country’s landfills, with more ending up elsewhere on land, rivers and oceans.

To reduce the plastic waste problem in Malaysia, the idea of the Crush-It machine was developed to educate and encourage Malaysians to recycle their plastics and to develop the habit of separating plastic at the source. Through the Kloth Circular Plastic Recycling Movement, the Kloth team aims to engage Malaysians to keep plastic out of landfills and oceans, and one of the methods is by getting multi-stakeholders to adopt the Crush-It machine.

Extending its corporate social consciousness from fabric recycling to include plastics as well, EXIM Bank Malaysia became the first financial institution to join the Kloth Circular Plastic Recycling Movement (KCPRM) and adopt the disruptive Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), also known as Crush-It by Kloth Lifestyle.

This ‘CRUSH-It Recycling Plastic Bottles’ campaign will see the RVM be placed at the Bank’s premises, where plastic bottle depositors from the Bank can interact with the Crush-It machine using the touchscreen or Graphical User Interface to select their department and the item(s) they are going to deposit — the machine accepts both plastic bottles and aluminium cans for recycling. As the plastic bottles or aluminium cans are deposited, a mechanical press in the RVM flattens the plastic bottles and aluminium cans, which allows for more recyclables to be collected in one bag. This results in a lesser number of trips and transportation costs for recyclable waste collectors, thus, a minimised carbon footprint for all.

Enabled via the Internet of Things (IoT) concept, the Crush-It machine can not only intelligently track the collection made by the departments in the Bank, but it also has the capability to send a “BIN FULL” alert via SMS to the collectors when the collection bag is full if the function is enabled. Furthermore, collection data can be retrieved at any time if the machine is linked to a wireless network. If it is stand-alone, data can be extracted and stored in a pen drive.

Other additional features of the Crush-It machine include an orifice or drop box for depositors to put in bottle caps, and a collection rack on the righthand side of the machine to collect used plastic cups and cup covers. This machine provides a one-stop convenience and an efficient solution to collect all types of plastic beverage packaging. The Crush-It machine also comes with another display panel that can be used for advertising or education and awareness.

Mrs. Sangeeta Mohan Das, a Production Engineer, is the first Malaysian woman to produce a plastic reverse vending machine with a crusher, also known as the Crush-It machine. The Crush-It machine technology and prototype was developed to include many useful features to aid the recycling process based on her past experience as an owner of ​a plastic recycling facility. The Kloth team, on the other hand, assisted in the development of the machine's branding and aesthetics, as well as the machine's graphical user interface and user experience.

The plastic bottles and aluminium cans collected from here will be sent to selected licensed recyclers, who will recycle and process them into pellets and flakes that can be used to make new products. Plastic pellets are used to make plastic bottles and other packaging, while plastic flakes are used to make plastic straps, cushions, and toy stuffing. These items will then be sold in the marketplace, and this whole process creates a sustainable circular economy.

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