MBKS bags six Green and Geopark Excellence Awards for sustainable city efforts

Dr Sim (fourth left) along with Wee (third left) and MBKS team pose with awards at the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards 2026 on Oct 8, 2026.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Oct 8: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) emerged as the biggest award winner at the Green and Geopark Excellence Awards 2026, taking home six awards recognising its efforts in sustainable city leadership, environmental education, recycling, community participation, food security and green infrastructure.

The awards, presented by Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, marked recognition of MBKS’s broad-based approach towards building a greener and more sustainable city.

Among the six awards was the Outstanding Sustainable City Transformation Leadership award, recognising MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng’s leadership in advancing sustainability initiatives since he assumed the mayoralty in September 2019.

The other five awards were the Environmental Education and Awareness award for the Community Composting Education Programme using the Takakura method; Green Technology Innovation for iBuyBack, which digitalises recycling; Community Circularity Pioneer for Bank Sampah; Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security for Kuching Farmer Market; and Smart Green Infrastructure Innovation for the ESG Smart Pole.

Wee said sustainability had been one of his key priorities since taking over as mayor.

“My belief was simple. We should not only manage the city for today. We must prepare Kuching South for the generations to come,” he said in a media release today.

Since then, MBKS has continued to pursue initiatives focused on environmental protection, waste reduction, the circular economy, greener public spaces, community participation and healthier living.

The Community Composting Education Programme, for instance, teaches residents to turn food waste into compost using the Takakura method, helping reduce waste while producing compost for plants.

Meanwhile, iBuyBack applies digital technology to encourage and facilitate recycling, while Bank Sampah promotes community participation in recovering recyclable materials.

The Kuching Farmer Market supports local producers while strengthening access to food, while the ESG Smart Pole reflects MBKS’s efforts to incorporate green technology into the city’s public infrastructure.

Wee said he was deeply honoured to receive the Outstanding Sustainable City Transformation Leadership award, adding that the recognition also reflected the collective efforts of MBKS councillors, staff, partners and residents.

“Whatever we have achieved has been through people working together. Our Councillors, staff, partners and residents have helped turn our plans into action. These awards belong to everyone who has contributed to making Kuching South a better place,” he said.

He said MBKS receiving the highest number of awards that night would serve as encouragement for the council to further strengthen its sustainability initiatives.

“For MBKS, sustainability is part of how we plan, how we act and how we prepare our city for the future. We are proud of these awards, but our work continues.

“We will keep working towards a greener, more resilient and more liveable Kuching South for everyone,” he said.

The MBKS delegation at the ceremony comprised Wee, Deputy Mayor Dato Zaiedi Suhaili, Cr Drahman Jaladin, Cr Judy Kho, Cr Albert Tay, acting city secretary Wong Ming Kong and senior assistant secretary Lilian Liew. — DayakDaily