Kota Kinabalu: Pusat Lestari Kota Kinabalu (PLKK) is spearheading efforts in sustainable living and recycling by turning donated second-hand items into meaningful assistance for the needy.
Kota Kinabalu City Hall Solid Waste Management Department officer Danniel Yanjom, who manages the centre with four team members, said the facility receives daily donations of clothes, shoes, and kitchenware from 8 am to 2 pm.
“We carry out the separation and sorting of items until 4 pm. Each day, the centre receives various items from the public, with the total weight estimated to exceed one tonne,” he told Bernama.
According to Danniel, the PLKK Temporary Centre began operations in Taman Fortuna in early January after a fire destroyed the previous facility at Dewan Masyarakat Kota Kinabalu.
He said all donations would undergo a thorough sorting process to ensure that only items in good and usable condition are distributed to the needy in Penampang, Manggatal, Inanam and other areas.
Clothes in good condition, Danniel said, are distributed to disaster victims, including those affected by fires and floods, as well as to needy local communities.
He added that the centre also collects used cooking oil every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, which is then recycled into valuable products such as biodiesel, candles and soap.
On e-waste, he said the facility is currently not equipped to handle these materials.
In the meantime, Danniel said PLKK also runs a free market programme, providing items such as clothes, shoes, books, and kitchen necessities at no cost to the public.
“Free markets are usually held during certain events and have received encouraging responses. Visitors are only required to bring their own bags to help reduce plastic use,” he said.
According to Danniel, the initiative not only helped reduce waste but also contributed to environmental sustainability and the well-being of the local community.
The writer, who sent used clothes to PLKK for the first time, found that the temporary collection area for used and recycled clothes was clean and easily accessible, as it was located within the building premises.
Arriving at around 12 pm, the writer observed that the staff members were always ready to help lift several boxes from the vehicle into the centre, which was almost full at the time.
