Second Leg of F&N “Recycle for a Life Cycle” Day @ Kuching

Kuching, Sarawak – Following the success of the first ever F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day which was held recently in Seberang Perai, Penang, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd (F&NHB) has embarked on the second leg of its recycling journey to East Malaysia, in conjunction with Kempen Kitar Semula F&N 2020 in Kuching and Kota Samarahan.

Held for the first time here with the goal of promoting the 5R philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink and Reinvent amongst primary and secondary school students, the F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day hoped to motivate them to be more environmentally conscious and practise good recycling habits in more fun and creative ways.

The full day event was organised in collaboration with the Kuching North City Hall (DBKU), the Council of the City of Kuching South (MBKS), the Kota Samarahan Municipal Council (MPKS) and the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP). It was also supported by Tetra Pak (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the Ministry of Local Government & Housing Sarawak (MLGH), the Natural Resources and Environment Board Sarawak (NREB), recycling partners and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

During the one-day event, students and teachers from schools under the jurisdiction of DBKU, MBKS, MPKS and MPP seized the opportunity to gain knowledge about the proper way of disposing wastes in order to save landfill space, conserve the country’s natural resources and reduce pollution. They had fun learning about the many advantages of practising a more sustainable lifestyle and the positive impacts of incorporating the 5R philosophy into their day-to-day routines.

The main highlight of F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day was the first ever poster design competition to empower students to take the lead in the protection of our natural environment. Themed “Recycle For A Life Cycle”, the poster design competition was aimed at advocating recycling efforts in Sarawak and inspiring students to harness their thoughts and imagination to create ingenious posters using recyclable items.

Based on the format of the MasterChef competitive cooking television show, the F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” poster design competition encouraged students from participating primary and secondary schools to think on their feet within the three-hour timeframe to develop the poster. During the competition, students from each school formed a team that consisted of five participants under the guidance of a supervising teacher. Each team then competed against one another by using only tools provided to them and recyclable materials which were prepared in the material room and only revealed to the participants once the contest began. Teams were only allowed to enter the material room three times to get the materials needed throughout the competition.

Speaking at the launch, Cariessa Goh, Corporate Affairs Manager, F&NHB expressed the Group’s gratitude to all participating students and teachers as well as the event partners for their overwhelming response, making the second round of the F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day another successful edition.

“As an organisation that focuses on environmental sustainability, F&NHB acknowledges our corporate responsibility in providing guidance for eco-friendly living to educate the community at large, especially the younger generation. Through this initiative, we hope to inspire the students to be more environmentally aware and understand that every little thing they do leaves an impact on the planet. By garnering a greater understanding of the 5R concept, only then will they build the confidence to share their knowledge and experiences with others especially their family and friends on how to make a difference for the environment.

“Each year, we always try our best to raise the bar for our school recycling campaigns to ensure that every student obtains as much knowledge and fun as possible. We were delighted and appreciative to the overwhelming response we had received in the first destination of our “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day in Seberang Perai. Everyone was excited and motivated to take part in the activities and that really moved us. We look forward to making a great, and possibly even bigger impact on the participants in today’s event,” said Goh.

Besides promoting creativity and innovation, the F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” poster design competition helps the schoolchildren build essential social and interpersonal skills as they have to interact with other team members to compete with their peers in order to reach their objective. It allows the participating students to demonstrate their problem-solving and design skills by showing how recyclables can be given a new lease of life by transforming them into new products for everyday use and decorations, supporting a circular economy. The students also learn the importance of patience and hard work, which will in turn make them more confident and independent in facing life challenges and they are more likely to carry these lifelong skills into adulthood.

The competition encourages the team members to communicate effectively with each other to ensure everyone’s views and opinions are heard, hence helps improve their communication skills. Each student has to transmit their thoughts well to their team members as they race against time to come up with their poster concept and design. The process helps develop leadership skills as team leaders have to be able to delegate members’ roles and responsibilities and keep them organised during each step to ensure the team is always on the right track. Engaging with others under pressure pushes the team members to give their best and be more productive as they learn how to work well in teams. Additionally, the competition teaches team members about the importance of practising proper time management and discipline as they focus all their efforts towards achieving their goal.

The first prize winners from both primary and secondary school categories will each win RM500. Meanwhile, second and third place winners for each category will get RM400 and RM300 respectively. On top of that, the two champions from both categories will be awarded a 3D2N educational trip at the ECO Recycling Plaza, Petaling Jaya which consists of a visit to a paper mill, a recycling centre and an upcycling factory for beverage cartons, that allows students to learn more about environmental conservation and bridge the gap between recycling education and hands-on experience. The first prize winners from the primary and secondary school categories will then compete against winners from the other six locations across Malaysia in June to be crowned the national champions.

Launched by Yang Berbahagia Datuk Haji Junaidi Bin Haji Reduan, Mayor of Kuching North City Hall (DBKU), the F&N “Recycle For A Life Cycle” Day also included a story sharing session led by celebrity radio deejay, Natasha Juan, that aimed to spur the schoolchildren’s imagination and stimulate their curiosity about the 5R philosophy and how they can practise good recycling habits. Yang Berbahagia Tuan Desmond anak Douglas Jerukan, Principal Assistant Secretary, the Community Development and Public Relations Section of the Ministry of Local Government & Housing Sarawak (MLGH) was also in attendance at the event.

Besides that, several informative booths were set up during the fun-filled day and the schoolchildren had the chance to participate in various types of educational and entertaining games made from recyclables. These activities offered a great way for the students to get engaged and excited about recycling.