Nestle Malaysia has partnered with SWCorp to expand Project SAVE (Segregate, Avoid, Value, Educate), a community-led door-to-door recycling initiative, across Kedah.
Aiming to boost household waste separation and divert recyclables from landfills, the program features weekly pickups of dry mixed recyclables to make recycling highly accessible.
The door-to-door weekly collection programme aims to scale its reach to 300,000 households nationwide by the end of 2026.
The community-driven partnership was celebrated at the Karnival Kitar (Recycling Carnival) event at SMK Taman Selasih, Kulim in Kedah, where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was formalized.
The event and MoU exchange were officially witnessed by guest of honour Tunku Temenggong Kedah Tan Sri Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz Sultan Abdul Halim.
Launched in 2020, Project SAVE is Nestle Malaysia’s flagship voluntary recycling programme and the country’s largest EPR initiative, supporting household Separation-at-Source (SAS) through weekly door-to-door collection of dry mixed recyclables in collaboration with municipal councils, waste management concessionaires and private recyclers.
The programme has reached about 260,000 households across nine cities.
In 2025 alone, it diverted an estimated 15,000 tonnes of solid waste including 10,000 tonnes of plastic from landfills and oceans.
Project SAVE expanded to Kulim in 2025 through a pilot collaboration with SWCorp, E-Idaman and ESH Resource.
Since its launch in Kulim, the initiative has successfully collected about 100,000 kg of recyclable materials, including nearly 28,000 kg of plastics, through its dedicated weekly door-to-door collection programme.
Nestle Malaysia chief executive officer Juan Aranols said the progress showed that effective recycling started with strong partnerships and consistent systems on the ground.
“But systems alone are not enough – real change starts at home.
“We encourage all Malaysians to separate waste at home and make recycling part of everybody’s daily life because when small actions become habits, they can drive meaningful nationwide impact.
“At Nestle Malaysia, our voluntary EPR approach reflects our commitment to supporting this shift towards a more circular and waste-free future,” he said.
SWCorp chief executive officer Khalid Mohammed said the partnership highlights the importance of a structured collection system in encouraging effective community recycling.
“Strong coordination among operational partners, local authorities and residents is critical to ensuring efficiency and sustaining participation over time.
“SWCorp remains committed to encouraging greater household involvement, which is essential to strengthening Malaysia’s recycling ecosystem and driving long-term impact,” he said.
The Karnival Kitar event brought together residents, schools, local authorities, partners and community leaders through educational roadshows, interactive booths and activities aimed at promoting recycling awareness.
