Volunteers on Malaysia’s resort island of Tioman are cleaning up beaches of ocean-bound plastic every weekend, which is then transformed by a local recycling plant into pellets and made into a range of products including auto parts, home appliances and furniture.

Heng Hiap, based in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, is one of a growing number of companies working with environmentalists to collect and remove plastic waste in the country’s waters.

The pellets made by Heng Hiap are sold to companies such as Kian, a furniture maker.

Irene Lim, Kian’s furniture branding manager, said: “Every chair that comes out from the machine we know that this has recycled part of the trash that we have created in the first place.”

Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com