Three tonnes of plastic waste, 89kg of recyclables and 300 people on a Sunday afternoon

ZERO Waste Malaysia (ZWM) kicked-off Plastic Free July on a high with over 300 individuals joining the event at Parc, Subang Ria for the launch of a 10m tall balloon installation by Hara Makers. The launch event featured numerous other activities including the Trashpedia Outreach Programme, Silk Screen Shirt Printing, a panel discussion, F&B vendors and a mini Zero Waste showcase. 

The event was graced by both Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin and Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng who shared some words of encouragement during the opening ceremony and went through a quick tour of the remaining activities. They were both in praise of the community’s passion for a cleaner Malaysia and encouraged us to push for more action from policy-makers. Following that, they participated in a photo-taking session of the balloon which had a huge slogan – 'SAY NO TO SINGLE-USE PLASTICS'. 

The sunny afternoon complemented a fiery panel discussion featuring John-Son Oei (Founder of Epic, Parc), Wong Pui Yi (environmental researcher) and Lee Yoon (co-founder of Hara Makers), moderated by Kuan Chee Choun from ZWM. The session covered the meaning of single-use plastics, the role of all stakeholders in tackling this plastic crisis, from both a top-down and bottom-up approach and what we can start doing- the rerun can be found here. 

The event also had a silk screen printing, encouraging people to bring their own shirts, water refill and F&B. Vendors Graze Eatery, TUG Gelato and Picha Eats supported the no single-use plastics request, and made sure to only allow customers to purchase if they have their own reusable containers/cups. These vendors have environmental or social impact attached to their services by reducing food waste through collecting surplus food or supporting refugees through upskilling. 

Moving onto the Trashpedia Outreach Programme by ZWM, supported by Muji was a success that resulted in 89kg of various recyclables being diverted from landfills, collected in just 3.5 hours from the community. 

The programme stressed on the importance for clean recycling which was led by students of Rich Hero, a startup that empowers future change-makers and builds children's confidence through Entrepreneurship. Yeo was in awe of the knowledge these kids had and learnt something new about recycling from them as well.

This programme by Zero Waste Malaysia will be carried out in both August and September at Parc, the community hub which aims to drive sustainability and zero waste by welcoming more community-driven opportunities. – The Vibes, July 4, 2023