JOHOR, 22 August 2024

FOR many, helping the environment is motivation enough to incorporate recycling in their daily lives.

Getting an incentive for their efforts is a bonus.

It has been more than 10 years since retiree Zainal Mohd Yusof, from Kampung Melayu Majidee in Johor Baru, got into recycling when he worked as a teacher.

The 54-year-old said various programmes and activities were being organised back then at his school to inculcate the recycling habit among students.

“As a teacher, I had to set a good example by practising what I preach.

“Along the way, I also picked up the habit of recycling because I wanted to do my part to help reduce what goes to landfills.

“It became my routine to set aside items at home such as papers, plastic and glass bottles, cardboard boxes and aluminium cans for recycling,” he told StarMetro.

He said he would accumulated the items over a month or two before dropping them off at a recycling hub at B5 Johor Street Market in Tampoi.

Reaping the rewards

Zainal said recycling became more enjoyable after he joined KITARecycle, a rewards programme by waste management concessionaire SWM Environment Sdn Bhd that lets users earn points for items they recycle.

“Points can be exchanged for money, but I have yet to redeem them.

“The process is quite easy – I just need to put recyclable items in separate bags and label them accordingly, along with my KITARecycle account number.

“Once the items are collected, SWM Environment staff will weigh them and enter the points into my account, where I can keep track of the quantity of items I have recycled,” he added.

He won a KITARecycle contest in June.

“After retiring in January, I had a lot of used books in storage; I recycled them instead of putting them out with the rubbish.“To my surprise, I was named one of the first-prize winners.

“I received 5,000 points in my recycling app and it was the first time I had ever won a competition,” he said, adding that he shared his joy on social media and received many comments from friends who were curious about the programme.

So, Zainal took the opportunity to promote recycling and highlighted the importance of helping the environment, in hopes of getting more people on board.

He feels a sense of responsibility towards the environment and this is what drives him to continue recycling.

“While I cannot force others to have good environmental practices, I hope they will at least realise that part of their responsibility is to take care of their surroundings.

“While I cannot force others to have good environmental practices, I hope they will at least realise that part of their responsibility is to take care of their surroundings.

“This can range from recycling to refraining from littering, and cutting down on utilities usage where possible,” he added.

Educating pupils

SJK (C) Foon Yew 2 in Johor Baru has also been educating pupils about the importance of being kind to the environment.

Headmistress Ramer Chong said the school started its green initiatives in 2019, which were resumed post-Covid-19 pandemic.

She said the school conducted monthly recycling drives, compost-making activities and a farming project.

Chong added that pupils were also given the opportunity to hold public speaking sessions before assembly, on environment-related topics such as climate change and pollution based on facts and figures collected through research.

To minimise waste, pupils collect food scraps too like vegetables and fruits from its canteen to make compost for sale, which is an additional income for the school.

“These activities were held to educate pupils about green practices, in hopes that they pick up the habit.

“Our monthly recycling drive is popular among pupils, who bring recyclable items such as ewaste, paper products, cardboard boxes, plastics and used cooking oil from home.

“Parents have also been supportive and participative, with many helping to drop off car-loads of recyclable items,” said Chong.

She said the school had come up with an efficient system where items are dropped off at the basketball court on a designated recycling weekend.

After collection on Friday and Saturday, the school’s Sustainability Club leaders will sort, weigh and record the items on Sunday morning before they are sent to a recycling centre.

On average, the school receives about 7,000kg of items during each recycling drive.

If parents have bulk recyclable items weighing more than 30kg, transport can be arranged for a home collection.

“We currently have about 60 Sustainability Club leaders, so the recording process is usually done quickly as they are already familiar with the system.

“Initially when we set up the club, some pupils shunned the position as they did not want to be seen as a karung guni (rag-and-bone) leader.

“After taking the time to explain what was involved, more pupils started volunteering as Sustainability Club leaders,” said the headmistress.

To reward pupils’ efforts, the school allots a prize at the end of the year for the class that recycles the most amount of items.

“This is just a small token of our appreciation, where the winnings will be shared among the pupils and for school beautification activities.

“But the important message to drive home through these activities is that we should do our part for the environment and not take for granted what we have now,” Chong emphasised.

Family activity

Sharing the same sentiment is civil servant Nurfarahain Mat Saad, 35, who set her three children on a sustainability path early by teaching them the importance of recycling and minimising waste.

Their recycling journey started about two years ago when she took them to a sustainability programme at Sultan Ismail Library in Johor Baru.

“There was an exhibition and information about the 3R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) which opened my children’s eyes and minds and got them excited about doing their part for the environment.

“Their enthusiasm inspired me to set up a sustainability corner at our house in Kulai, with bins for sorting recyclable materials.

“My children, aged six to 12, would bring home recyclable items from school to fill up the bins and I would do the same with items from my workplace,” said Nurfarahain, who is a town and country planning assistant officer at Johor Baru City Council.

She has also been recording their recycling activities via the KITARecycle app, with her children getting even more excited after she showed them the accumulated points.

“I explained that our efforts are much more than just to accumulate points in exchange for money.

“I want to make sure they have the right mindset and intentions, as what we are doing is for the benefit of planet Earth and our future,” she added.

Nurfarahain said that one of her biggest accomplishments was getting her husband, Mohd Nor Azhari Hamim, 39, and colleagues to take part in recycling activities.

“At first, my husband did not see the point of our efforts but now, he is the first to rally the family together to sort recyclable materials on weekends as a family bonding activity,” she said.