F&N & MPSP Challenge School Children To Become Recycling Heroes

Seberang Perai, Penang – Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) has joined forces with the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai (MPSP) to help the council achieve its target of recycling 70 per cent of municipal waste by 2022, by organising the “Kempen Kitar Semula F&N & MPSP 2018” for the second consecutive year.

Launching the programme, Yang Berbahagia Dato’ Sr Hj. Rozali Bin Hj. Mohamud, Yang Dipertua of MPSP said, “To date, we have achieved a recycling rate of 42 per cent which is the highest rate in Malaysia. This is such a huge accomplishment and we couldn’t have done it without the participating schools’ hard work and dedication in last year’s “Kempen Kitar Semula F&N & MPSP”.

The inaugural campaign held last year in Seberang Perai saw the participation of 38 primary and secondary schools across the district that successfully collected 54,090.75 kg of recyclables. This year’s campaign aims to attract more participants as it will be open to pre-schools under the MPSP administration.

“We are grateful for your contribution and I look forward to an increase in the number of participating schools in this year’s campaign. Together, we can accumulate a higher amount of recyclable items and reach our recycling rate goal of 70 per cent in four years’ time,” the Yang Dipertua said.

Supported by the Penang Education Department, Penang Department of Environment and Tetra Pak (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the nine-month school recycling campaign will be held from January 1 to September 30, 2018.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Cariessa Goh, Corporate Affairs Manager of F&N said the initiative is a part of the Group’s continuous commitment toward instilling good recycling habits in school children. “At F&N, we believe it is never too early to educate students on the benefit of recycling as we are confident that by engaging the young, they will grow up to become responsible and environmentally conscious adults. Our campaign reinforces the 5R philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink and Recreate that not only encourages students to recycle but also to tap into their creative side and develop innovative ways to reuse waste,” said Ms Goh.

“Beginning this year, we will be briefing school principals as well as teachers who lead the schools’ recycling clubs or teachers who are in charge of co-curricular activities at the schools. The campaign will also also include a briefing session by the Penang Department of Environment. This will enable each school to understand how important it is to apply the 5R philosophy in the campaign that will greatly help students to know ways to improve their surroundings and create a sustainable future,” Ms. Goh added. “We look forward to engaging the students and teachers on the importance of promoting recycling habits and environmental preservation amongst children from a young age.”

The “Kempen Kitar Semula F&N & MPSP 2018” fosters a conducive environment for the students to work closely together with their teachers and parents to collect the highest recyclable materials per head in each school. Participating schools are required to collect recyclable items that consist of aluminium products, plastics, paper, Tetra Pak carton packages and e-waste including television sets, computers, mobile phones, rice cookers, hair dryers, toasters, speakers and vacuum cleaners.

Ms. Goh also encouraged participating schools to use proceeds from the sale of recyclable materials as a source of income for them to enhance their existing recycling programmes and fund the cost for school maintenance.

Representing the pre-school community in the area, an official from the Unity Kindergarten unit of the Department of National Unity and Integration (JPNIN) said, “we are glad that this programme has been extended to reach pre-schools this year. This initiative can easily be adapted into the teaching and learning curriculums in the classroom and where better to start than at the beginning of a child’s learning stage. We look forward to not only the participation of individual students but also the contributions from their homes and surrounding communities.”

Puan Rafiah Ahmad, a teacher from SMK Seberang Jaya noted that “as a whole, the programme introduced today has provided us with a great opportunity to think creatively on how we can preserve the environment. It is a programme that can be both educational and enjoyable for everyone.”

Puan Lydia from SMK Kampong Kastam also said that, “The programme is very interesting and we are glad that F&N is encouraging participation at a school level. When kids learn these important environmental lessons during childhood, they may be more likely to adopt responsible habits that carry on into adulthood.”

This year, the campaign will also be introducing a ‘Recycling Corner’ competition for the primary and secondary school categories. The new competition will challenge participating schools to think outside the box and explore unique and creative ways to ‘Rethink’ and ‘Recreate’ waste materials. Besides that, Tetra Pak (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. will be sponsoring a competition for the most creative design using Tetra Pak carton packages.

The “Kempen Kitar Semula F&N & MPSP 2018” offers cash prizes totalling RM26,860 for the top 10 schools in each category that collect the largest haul of recyclable materials per student; primary and secondary schools that achieve the highest collection of aluminium, plastics, Tetra Pak carton packages and e-waste; pre-schools that accumulate the largest amount of aluminium, plastics and Tetra Pak carton packages; and the top three primary and secondary schools in the ‘Recycling Corner’ competition.

Primary and secondary schools stand to win the grand prize of RM1,400 for the highest average score of recyclable items collected at the end of the campaign while the winning pre-school will bring home RM500. The second prize is RM1,300 each for primary and secondary schools, and RM400 for the pre-school category. Primary and secondary schools that achieve third place will win RM1,200 each while the pre-school in the same position will take home RM300. Primary and secondary schools in fourth and fifth places respectively will earn RM1,100 and RM1,000 each for their efforts while pre-schools in fourth and fifth spots will each win RM80. Meanwhile, primary and secondary schools from sixth to 10th placements will receive a consolation prize of RM300 each. Pre-schools from sixth to 10th positions will receive a consolation prize of RM80 each.

Four special awards worth RM700 each await primary and secondary schools with the most aluminium, plastic, Tetra Pak carton packages and e-waste accumulated. Meanwhile, three special awards worth RM300 each are up for grabs for pre-schools that collect the biggest amount of aluminium, plastic and Tetra Pak carton packages.

Grand prize winners for the primary and secondary school categories of the ‘Recycling Corner’ competition will each bring home RM800 while second place winners will win RM600 each. Primary and secondary schools in third place will receive RM400 each.

F&N began its recycling initiative 12 years ago in Shah Alam and in 2012, extended the campaign to the Penang Island. Last year, the Group launched its first ever campaign in Seberang Perai and Kuching. F&N kickstarted this year’s school recycling campaign in the Penang Island on January 17, 2018 before proceeding to Seberang Perai. The Group aims to reach out to more schools in other parts of Malaysia and will continue to explore opportunities to develop young environmentalists in the country