AMITA Group Initiates the First PoC Field Test of MEGURU STATION® outside Japan, in Malaysia -Teaming with Malaysia's Sunway Group in feasibility study of circular management of municipal waste in the country-
AMITA HOLDINGS, CO., LTD., a preeminent Japanese provider of circular and sustainability solutions and services, today announced that AMITA CIRCULAR DESIGN SDN. BHD., the Malaysia-based regional headquarters of the AMITA Group (hereafter ACD), signed a memorandum of agreement on June 1, 2024, with Sunway University SDN. BHD., supported by the Malaysian conglomerate Sunway Group, concerning jointly conducting a proof-of-concept field test of MEGURU STATION®, a mutually supportive community resource-collection site developed by AMITA.
The field test will run for seven months from June through December 2024 on a prototype MEGURU STATION® set up in a school lot near Sunway University in Petaling jaya city. This is the first MEGURU STATION® operating outside Japan. The test is designed to gauge the feasibility of sorting and collecting municipal waste in Malaysia and assess how MEGURU STATION® will affect residents' perception and behavior toward resource circulation.
Going forward, the AMITA Group intends to build a resource-circulation scheme based on MEGURU STATION® in Malaysia and elsewhere, and develop the Social Systems Design Business outside Japan.
1. Background
The AMITA Group has been conducting closed-loop recycling of scheduled waste in Malaysia since 2017. The amount of cement alternative materials we produced and supplied to cement manufacturers has increased 2.8 times in six years from 2018 to 2023. This indicates growing commercial need for circular management of scheduled waste in Malaysia. By contrast, the country's recycling rate of municipal waste has remained low, as the idea of sorting and collecting household waste has not been firmly established among citizens.
The Malaysian government published "Malaysia Plastics Sustainability Roadmap 2021-2030" as part of its commitment to promote the recycling of plastic waste, which had grown to an estimated 4.5 billion RM (900M USD) business in the country by 2019. Furthermore, the government is scheduled to progressively implement an Extended Producer Responsibility policy, under which a producer's responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of the product's life cycle, including its disposal and recycling. These developments are expected to drive the environmental and waste management business in the country.
As part of its efforts to help develop a resource-circulation market in Malaysia, ACD has agreed to partner with Sunway University, which has been promoting circular management of waste produced on and off its campus, to jointly conduct a PoC field test of MEGURU STATION®. The agreement includes an option to develop a further business partnership between the two parties.
About MEGURU STATION®
It is a community-based resource-collection site developed and operated by the AMITA Group in Japan, with a focus on the circular management and use of local resources and the promotion of greater engagement among residents.
For details, visit https://en.amita-hd.co.jp/service/#socialbusiness01
About Sunway University and the Sunway Group
Sunway University is one of Malaysia's prominent private universities, located Petaling jaya city, and is supported by the Sunway Group, one of Malaysia's largest conglomerates engaged in real-estate, construction, hotel, leisure, commerce, trade, manufacturing, medical care, and education businesses.
The jointly conducted PoC test with Sunway University will provide a basis for a potential business collaboration with the Sunway Group.
- For more information about Sunway University, visit https://sunwayuniversity.edu.my/
- For more information about the Sunway Group, visit https://www.sunway.com.my/
2. About PoC Field Test
The field test started on June 7, 2024, on MEGURU STATION® set up on the lot of Fairview International School, located near Sunway University, to gauge the feasibility of a community-driven resource-collection scheme and the commercial use of recycled resources, as well as to assess how MEGURU STATION® will affect people's perception and behavior toward resource circulation.
More specifically, in this test, Fairview International School's students and their family members, teachers, and support staff are asked to voluntarily sort plastic waste, used paper, and aluminum cans generated at the school and collect them into designated boxes installed on the school lot. This is intended to gauge people's acceptance of the practice of sorting and collecting such everyday waste. Test participants will also have an opportunity to increase their environmental awareness by participating in a tour of a facility that recycles collected waste into usable materials. In addition, before and after the test, participants are asked to complete questionnaires about their recycling practices and the use of MEGURU STATION®, the findings from which will provide a basis for assessing how MEGURU STATION® will affect people's perception and behavior toward resource circulation.
Test Period and Program
| Test Period | From June 7 through December 31, 2024 |
| Test Program |
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*This PoC field test is supported by The Sumitomo Foundation, which provides grants for research and projects in the fields of basic science, enviroment, arts and culture, and international exchange. (updated June 12)
3. Next Steps
This test is designed to provide a basis for assessing the feasibility of circular management of municipal waste in Malaysia, including the practice of sorting and collecting waste. ACD will use the findings from the test to work with local businesses, municipalities, and private-sector groups to develop and implement a commercially viable scheme of recycling plastic and other municipal waste in Malaysia.
This test will provide a good opportunity to develop a resource-circulation scheme and pursue the Social Systems Design Business outside Japan to assist local businesses and municipalities in achieving greater corporate and community sustainability.
Click these links to see AMITA Group press releases of related topics
February 8, 2024
May 15, 2024
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