A dedicated waste sorting facility has officially opened on the Klang River to prevent marine debris from reaching the ocean, strengthening Malaysia’s efforts to combat riverine plastic pollution.
The facility, developed by The Ocean Cleanup in collaboration with Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB), J&K Wonderland Foundation and Coca-Cola Malaysia, will process waste intercepted by solar-powered systems such as Interceptor 002 and a log boom barrier before it flows downstream.
Launched in the presence of Klang Mayor Dato’ Haji Abd Hamid Hussain and witnessed by Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Secretary-General Datuk Dr Ching Thoo, the facility is part of the broader Klang River cleanup initiative.
With funding from Coca-Cola Malaysia and J&K Wonderland Foundation and led by LLSB, the project employs full-time staff to manually sort recyclables like plastics and aluminium from organic and non-recyclable waste, promoting more sustainable waste management.
The Ocean Cleanup’s Rivers Director, Marco Piët, also announced plans to expand Interceptor deployments in Kuala Lumpur under its 30 Cities Program, which aims to stop up to one-third of plastic waste entering oceans from rivers by 2030.
To date, nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste have been extracted from the Klang River by Interceptors 002 and 005. The new facility enhances this impact by supporting recycling and local job creation, while reducing landfill dependency.
