Follow Joseph Shepherd, a voluntourist, as he recounts his journey of collaborating with local communities to repurpose plastic waste into valuable products with a second life.

Joseph Shepherd (UK) shares his transformative experience volunteering with social enterprise Fuze Ecoteer in Kuala Lumpur. Through the “Upcycled by Fuze Ecoteer” initiative, he participated in the “Upcycling the City” programme, which focuses on recycling plastic waste into valuable products alongside local communities.

The Reality of Recycling

Witnessing the difference made after a beach or river clean-up may feel rewarding, but the reality can be disheartening. Despite these efforts, much of the trash ends up in landfills. The Malaysian government spends RM2 billion annually on solid waste management and public cleansing. The recycling rate is just 33%, highlighting the need for change.

Introducing the circular economy

The current linear economic model, which assumes an infinite availability of resources, is unrealistic and unsustainable as Earth’s finite resources continue to be depleted. Embracing a circular economy that dispenses with a disposal culture and that emphasises repair, reuse, recycle, and redesign minimises waste, thus conserving resources for future generations:

Image of concept of circular economy. Image from Designing Buildings.

Disposal is not the endgame of economic activity; it is a call to action for responsible waste management. Upcycled advocates closing the economic loop through repair, reuse, recycle, and redesign to minimise environmental impact.

Upcycled by Fuze Ecoteer

Originating in the Perhentian Islands with aims to connect people with nature via sea turtle conservation, marine research, waste management, and eco-education projects, Fuze Ecoteer expanded its reach to Kuala Lumpur with Upcycled by Fuze Ecoteer in 2021. With an operational site located next to a river in Lembah Subang, Upcycled is focused on addressing the prevalent waste management issues in the area and aims to establish community-led waste removal systems that are financially sustainable and replicable.

Innovative Recycling Solutions

Utilising open-sourced blueprints from Precious Plastic, an open hardware recycling project created by Dave Hakkens in the Netherlands, Upcycled built its first plastic recycling machine, revolutionising waste management on-site. Led by Pak Syam and Mak Aini, the Upcycled team—who are from the local Lembah Subang community—transforms recycled plastic into valuable products and through outreach programmes, empowers local communities whilst cultivating environmental stewardship.

Upcycled prioritises collaboration with local communities, providing training and skill development opportunities to run these programmes. The initiative emphasises community participation and feedback, ensuring inclusivity and sustainability.

Here, a participant is turning plastic waste into a flower pot. Plastic pieces go through the shredder (left), which gets funnelled into the injector (right), where it gets heated up, melting it as it makes its way to the bottom of the pipe, where it reaches a mould that it is manually pumped into. Photo by Fuze Ecoteer

A member of staff supervising two young participants operating the injector machine.
Photo by Fuze Ecoteer.

Making Learning Fun

Upcycled runs a regular event “Upcycling the City,” which fosters experiential learning through hands-on clean-ups and workshops. After a clean-up, participants conduct a waste audit and have a go at product creation using the plastic recycling machine, transforming some of the waste they had just collected into valuable items—fostering a deeper connection to the recycling process and environmental conservation. This event is an eye-opener for participants, and has been Upcycled’s favourite event to run. It is hard work—a few hundred kilogrammes of trash is collected from the city or river each time—but the effort pays off when participants see the impact of teamwork.

A participant proudly displaying a handmade keychain.
Photo by Fuze Ecoteer.

Making A Collective Impact

Through diverse programmes like “Upcycling the City,” Upcycled brings together people from all walks of life for a common cause. Proceeds from Upcycled programmes support conservation projects nationwide, underscoring the collective impact of community-driven initiatives.

Together Towards Sustainable Recycling!

Learn more about:

Upcycled by Fuze Ecoteer

Open hardware plastic recycling project Precious Plastic

Writer: Joseph Shepherd (Upcycled by Fuze Ecoteer)