Wondering where to shop zero waste, recycle or buy secondhand items? Here’s your beginner’s guide to living sustainably in Kuala Lumpur. (Left: Image by @refillermobile. Right: Image by @liquidetc.)
Living more sustainably doesn’t necessarily mean you have to flip your entire lifestyle upside down. It just means being a little more mindful about your choices. Whether it’s bringing your own grocery bag or Tupperware, refilling instead of buying new, or supporting a homegrown brand over a fast fashion one, it’s the small choices that matter. Here are a couple of easy things you can do in the Klang Valley that matter more than you think.
1. Refill your essentials
Bring your own containers – plastic bottles, jars, or even that old Milo tin – to a refill station and make those single-use plastics go the distance by reusing them. Stock up on your dailies like shampoo, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, floor cleaner, and even bio pet bath, while cutting your plastic waste and saving money. Trust us when we say it’s oddly satisfying.
Here’s where you can get refills in the Klang Valley:
KitaRefill, Damansara Kim
With an aim to reduce waste from single-use packaging, KitaRefill offers eco-friendly detergents, personal care products, and gardening refillables both for retail and bulk purchases at affordable prices.
Address: 15, Jalan SS 20/11, Damansara Kim, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: +6012 245 5480
Refiller Mobile, Klang Valley
Like an ice cream truck of sustainability, Refiller Mobile is Malaysia’s first refill station on wheels. It conveniently brings eco-friendly products like cleaning agents and personal care products sourced from KitaRefill to you. Simply gather a minimum of 10 families and schedule a neighbourhood visit on WhatsApp.
Liquid Etc – Zero Waste Bulk Store, Klang Valley
Liquid Etc is another roving minimal to zero waste store option that provides a more sustainable shopping alternative for the Klang Valley community, including areas like Klang, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya, Kuala Lumpur, etc. Check out their website to get the deets.
The Hive Eco Store, online
This zero-waste pioneer is an online store that offers an impressive range of eco-friendly products, including food, cleaning supplies, and personal care items. Their products are also carried by trusted retail partners across Malaysia.
Looking for something closer to home? Here are some other zero-waste and eco-friendly refill stores you can check out:
- MINIMIZE Zero Waste Store, Subang
- Zero Waste Earth Store, Shah Alam
- NULL Zero Waste Factory, multiple locations
2. Recycle responsibly
So, you’re hoarding paper bags, old cables you’re not sure what to do with, and plastic containers that you may or may not reuse someday. We see you. Instead of letting them gather dust, why not drop them off at a specialised recycling centre to ensure your items actually get recycled, treated, and/or disposed of safely?
Green Waste Selangor
Green Waste Selangor is an NGO that focuses on recycling your used cooking oil and converting it into soaps and biodiesel. They offer a convenient collection service, allowing residents to donate or sell their used cooking oil. By participating in this program, you can help reduce pollution and support community welfare initiatives. All you have to do is fill out a form on their website.
IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre, Mutiara Damansara
From electrical bulbs to non-liquid expired meds, glass, batteries, used cooking oil, food waste and more, IPC Recycling & Buy-Back Centre is a seamless and digitalised recycling experience located in the parking lot of IPC Shopping Centre. There’s a dedicated free, 10-minute drop-off parking lot for recyclers.
Address: IPC Shopping Centre, Ladies parking, Level P1, 2, Jalan PJU 7/2, Mutiara Damansara, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: +6017 804 7033
1Recycling Centre (1RC), 1 Utama Shopping Centre
1RC is 1 Utama’s one-stop recycling hub that combines, tech, sustainability, and shopper rewards by offering a convenient recycling solution for various waste categories, including PET bottles, aluminium cans, electrical and electronic waste, fabric, paper and cartons, and lanyards.
Address: City Centre, B2 Highstreet, 1, Lebuh Bandar Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: +603 7725 5788
PJ Eco Recycling Plaza
PJ Eco Recycling Plaza is a one-stop learning centre for recycling and a drop-off station aiming to achieve zero waste in Petaling Jaya. This city council initiative is a triple-story facility that accepts all kinds of waste, including plastic bags, polystyrene, Tetra Pak, and other materials that are often not accepted elsewhere. They also host upcycling workshops the likes of sewing, woodworking, and the repairing of electrical appliances.
Address: Jalan SS8/39, Sungai Way Free Trade Industrial Zone, 47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Phone: +603 7865 8049
Here are some other awesome recycling initiatives:
- Kebun Komuniti Hartamas: A community-run urban garden in Taman Sri Hartamas that accepts your fruit and veggie scraps for composting.
- Volt Recycle: A responsible e-waste recycling centre that offers pickups for your e-waste and plants a tree for every tonne collected.
- Apple Store Malaysia: Apple offers a free ‘return and recycle’ service for Apple devices and accessories you no longer use. Here’s how to go about it.
Tip: If none of the above are close to home, search “recycling” on Google Maps and sort by distance to see if there’s something closer to you.
3. Buy local, secondhand, and sustainable
Buying sustainably doesn’t have to mean burning a hole in your bank account. From locally-grown fruit and vegetables to pre-loved fashion and furniture, there are plenty of aesthetically divine, delish, and budget-friendly ways to support businesses that care. Plus, you’ll certainly find unique things you’ll treasure forever.
Groceries
- Graze Market: Malaysia’s own surplus food market that focuses on reducing food waste by offering food at a discount.
- Homegrown Farms: A Malaysian organic farm offering weekly bread and farmer’s baskets straight from the farm to your doorstep.
- Cultiveat: A sustainable farming company that grows and delivers pesticide-free veggies to your home.
- Veggies.my: An organic, ethically sourced local fruit and veggie delivery service.
Clothes, home products, furniture, and more
- Carousell: An online platform to buy and sell items (most of which are secondhand)
- LOOOP: A curated pre-loved clothing store
- JBR Bundle: A distributor and seller of used items and (dare we say it) one of the best thrift store chains in Malaysia
- Jalan Jalan Japan: A chain of stores that sells pre-loved goods from Japan, including clothing, toys, and more
- Cash Converters: A secondhand dealer that buys and sells all sorts
- Unearth: Secondhand furniture and home items store
- Ecomax Budget Store: A two-storey warehouse filled with used items ranging from home and office furniture to electronics
Homegrown brands and more
- UNPLUG: An online multi-brand shop carrying eco-friendly and socially responsible brands
- Re{me}dy: A natural skin, body, and hair care brand
- The Green Factory: An award-winning hub for sustainable Malaysian-crafted wood products
- Common Market: Sustainable, eco-friendly home cleaning supplies, feminine care, dental care, skincare, and beauty products
Sustainable corporate gifts and wholesale eco-products
- Single Step: A zero-waste retailer that specialises in sustainable corporate gifts and wholesale eco-products.
- Earth Heir Collective: A one-stop shop for sustainable corporate gifts, social impact goods, and ESG gifts.
- Batik Boutique: Unique, handcrafted batik corporate gifts and wholesale eco-products with a focus on fair trade and sustainability.
4. Educate yourself (and your friends)
Going green isn’t just about what you do or buy, it’s also about what you know. Thankfully, there are some amazing groups around Klang Valley where you can dig into everything from composting to community farming. These educational initiatives will help you level up with practical knowledge that transforms your eco-anxiety into eco-action.
- Eats, Shoots & Roots: A social enterprise that aims to reconnect urbanites with nature by empowering them with the skills and tools to grow their own food.
- Grow Subang @ PARC: A community-driven urban farm and learning hub at PARC that brings people together to learn more about edible gardening and sustainable practices through events and workshops.
- Forest Learning Centre @ Perdana Botanical Gardens: A learning centre that makes learning about our forest more accessible and approachable, through guided tours, exhibitions, workshops, and more.
- MNS Green Living: An educational initiative by the Malaysian Nature Society to promote a sustainable lifestyle and raise awareness about energy use, waste reduction, composting, conserving water, and the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
