Cover RVM Plus co-founder and CEO Ethan Lim is changing the face of plastic bottle recycling
RVM Plus co-founder and CEO Ethan Lim is changing the face of plastic bottle recycling
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How can we lay the foundation for a circular plastic bottle-to-bottle economy? RVM Plus makes it easy by making it accessible and rewarding
I am your bottled water, here to refresh and hydrate you on a hot, sweltering day. But as soon as my contents were gone, so too was my purpose. I am tossed aside, just one of the millions of plastic bottles to meet this fate. But what if my journey doesn’t end there? What if I can be reborn and given a new purpose to serve you once again?
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Globally, it’s estimated that around one million plastic bottles are purchased every minute, and a significant portion of that figure is for drinking water. In Malaysia, although exact figures vary, it’s estimated that we consume around one billion plastic bottles annually, with about 900 tonnes of plastic waste ending up in landfills every day. Among this waste is a substantial portion of single-use plastics like food packaging and water bottles.
Above Plastic is first processed into recycled pellets or flakes
Plastic is first processed into recycled pellets or flakes
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These alarming statistics have prompted the Malaysian government to raise the national recycling rate to 40 per cent by 2025, up from 33.17 per cent in 2022. Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies responded by pledging to include at least 50 per cent recycled material in their bottles by 2030. This is a significant step towards the right direction; however, achieving this goal is riddled with challenges, particularly when it comes to food-grade plastic.
Plastic bottles can be recycled into a myriad of things like clothing, carpets, plastic bottles, toothbrushes, and even tennis balls. But when it comes to food-grade plastic, the process is more complex, requiring the purity and quality necessary for food-grade recycling. In other words, collecting, sorting, cleaning and processing plastic demands further investment in technology and infrastructure to ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
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To address this challenge, one of the solutions is promoting bottle-to-bottle circularity, and this is where initiatives like RVM Plus come into play. While reverse vending machines are not a new concept, RVM Plus takes it a step further by partnering with consumer bottle manufacturer Plastictecnic and waste resource management company Cenviro. Bottles collected will be recycled by Cenviro and channelled to Plastictecnic, thereby creating a true bottle-to-bottle circular economy.
RVM Plus co-founder and CEO Ethan Lim explains, “There’s a misconception that recycling is cheap and uses scrap material, but the truth is, properly good recycled material is more expensive than virgin. Imagine if we collect very dirty bottles from landfills, already contaminated with food waste and many other things—it will cost more to do the cleaning and recycling. So, the best approach is to collect at the source from things like RVMs, then clean the bottles, process them into recycled PET flakes, and produce new food-grade bottles.”
Above The plastic flakes are then melted and shaped into desired bottle forms using a moulding machine at the Plastictecnic factory
The plastic flakes are then melted and shaped into desired bottle forms using a moulding machine at the Plastictecnic factory
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To understand plastic, there are seven primary types, categorised based on their chemical composition and used for different purposes. You will probably be most familiar with PET (polyethylene terephthalate)—transparent plastic used for beverages like soft drinks and water; HDPE (high-density polyethylene)—opaque or semi-transparent containers used for milk jugs, juice bottles, detergent and shampoo; PP (polypropylene), used for yoghurt containers, straws, bottle caps and some food containers; and PS (polystyrene), used for disposable cups, plastic cutlery, plastic food boxes and packaging foam.
It’s important to identify plastic by type in the recycling process because they can’t be mixed. Furthermore, each has different melting temperatures (PET melts at 260 degrees Celsius) while PE melts at 230 degrees Celsius ). As you will soon realise, recycling plastic is a very complicated process.
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The RVM Plus machine is currently designed to collect PET plastic bottles and aluminium cans, but in the near future, it will expand its capabilities to collect other materials, such as paper and different types of plastic like those used for personal care products. The machines are set up next to vending machines to encourage people to discard used bottles and cans into the RVM once they are done.
One of the key challenges in Malaysia’s recycling efforts is the lack of consumer awareness and incentives, so RVM Plus addresses this by offering tangible rewards for recycling. “There are two ways of incentivising the user,” Lim explains. “One is you get five RVM points (equivalent to five sen) for every empty bottle you drop in (it can be any PET bottle from home or anywhere you find). The second is if you buy any of our drinks, especially the drinking water, once you finish it, you get a voucher which allows you to claim another bottle for free, provided you throw the emptied bottle back into the machine.”
Above The RVM Plus machine and vending machine are placed side by side to encourage recycling
The RVM Plus machine and vending machine are placed side by side to encourage recycling
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This approach not only encourages recycling but also helps to reduce the cost of living. Lim explains, “So now you’re paying RM2, but when you get another bottle for free, basically you pay only RM1 each. This is the key message we are trying to send to the consumer. Let’s help with recycling, but at the same time, we’re helping to reduce the cost of drinks. If you’re looking at the larger picture, we are trying to reduce the cost of living standards.”
The incentives provided by RVM Plus can also make a significant impact on the B40 community, by making necessities like water more affordable through this recycling initiative. “The cleaners collect so much (aluminium cans/bottles from everywhere), and when they pass them on to a middle person, what they are getting in the end is super minimal. With our concept, bottle for a bottle, it ties back to what the government wants to achieve, which is to bring down the cost of living.”
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He adds, “We knew that we could never sustain if it’s just RVM alone, therefore we need a vending machine for redemption—kind of like a loyalty programme. But we know that the traditional way of accumulating points to get rewards is not feasible. So, we try to simplify it so it’s fast for them to get rewards. Hopefully, this approach will encourage people to continuously recycle.”
Furthermore, the data collected by these machines could play a crucial role in future government policies. “Our machine can read the barcode, so we can collect data, and we will know where this bottle is coming from,” Lim explains. The data will be essential when Malaysia implements extended producer responsibility (EPR), a system where brand owners are taxed based on the amount of plastic they produce and recycle. Although not yet a requirement in Malaysia, this initiative is already in place in Europe and Singapore and is expected to be adopted locally soon.
Above Bottles must be emptied of liquids before being fed into the machine
Above The RVM compresses the bottles, allowing it to collect up to 25-30kg of plastic bottles
Bottles must be emptied of liquids before being fed into the machine
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Looking ahead, RVM Plus has ambitious plans to expand its reach impact. It already launched its machines in Melaka earlier this year, placing them in tourist areas like Jonker Street. They are also partnering with SWCorp Malaysia to deploy 50 machines across the Klang Valley and have plans to put both RVM and vending machines in public areas like hospitals, malls, masjids and MRT stations. This concept would make recycling an integral part of daily life, further promoting a circular economy.
The company’s long-term vision is to introduce this unique business model to the world. They plan to set up a few pilot projects in Asean countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines by 2025. The first phase involves deploying 1,000 units of RVMs in Malaysia, with plans to eventually scale up to 5,000 units in the next phase across the country. “We are currently engaged in establishing the essential groundwork and infrastructure necessary for the implementation of a comprehensive recycling programme,” says Lim.
The message that RVM Plus wants to convey is clear: recycling is not just about waste management; it’s about giving recycled material a new purpose. And by making recycling accessible and rewarding, we are on the way towards a more sustainable Malaysia, one bottle at a time.
Credits
Photography: Fady Younis
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Elizabeth Soong is the managing editor of Malaysia Tatler. She loves a good laugh, but is serious when it comes to work, and gets a high from dancing, cats purring, plus enjoys musicals or binge-watching a good TV series. Continually inspired by the people she meets, edits and writes about, you're welcome to see what she's up to on her Instagram @lizsoong.
