Tiang: Sibu schools recycling competition reap rewards

SIBU (Jan 18): The 2023 Recycling Competition for schools in Sibu and Sarikei Zones has managed to collect an impressive amount of 80,800kg in recyclables.

According to the Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang, a total of 22 primary schools and 10 secondary schools in Sibu and Sarikei were involved in the programme that ran from July 1 to Dec 30 last year.

He said it was a joint initiative between his ministry, the state Education Department, Sibu Municipal Council, Sibu Rural District Council, Sarikei District Council, Meradong Julau District Council, and Fraser & Neave (F&N) Holdings Bhd.

“I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the students and the schools in their efforts in collecting such a big amount of recycled items over the past six months.

“This is the kind of spirit that we would like to instill in our younger generations, which is to start practising the 3Rs habits of reducing, reusing and recycling,” he said.

The programme’s objectives, he said, were to create environmental awareness among the young ones, which aligns with the state’s commitment to sustainable energy.

“This signifies our collective efforts to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, decrease the demand of raw materials, as well as to minimize the environmental impact associated with waste disposal,” said Tiang at the competition’s prize presentation ceremony here yesterday.

“The success of today’s programme also showed the importance of public-private partnerships, such as the involvement of F&N Holdings Bhd, and this ought to be continued to bring positive impacts,” he said, while calling for more private sectors to join in the cause.

On the competition, the organisers had introduced additional special awards for the most e-waste collected, in addition to the existing two special awards for the most accumulated aluminium and plastic.

SJK(C) Ming Tak, Sarikei was adjudged as the champion for the primary school category, followed by runner-up SJK(C) Chung Hien, also in Sarikei, and third-place winner SJK(C) Hang Kwong, Sibu.

For the secondary school category, SMK Tong Hua in Bintangor came top, followed by second-place winner SMK Methodist and third-placed SMK Tiong Hin, both in Sibu.

Meanwhile, SJK(C) Dung Sang in Sibu grabbed the special award for the primary school category for having collected the most aluminium waste – at a total of 1,273kg.

SMK Chung Hua, also in Sibu, was announced the winner of the special award for the secondary school category, with a total collection of 167.9kg.

For the ‘Most Plastic Collected’ special award, the winner for the primary school category went to Sibu’s SJK(C) Thian Hua with 1,069.5kg, with SMK Methodist the winner for the secondary school category with 2,534.5kg.

The ‘Most e-Waste Collected’ special awards for the primary and secondary schools categories were awarded to SJK(C) Dung Sang and SMK Methodist for having collected 1,834kg and 1,226.4 kg of e-waste, respectively.

Present at the prize presentation ceremony were Sibu Resident Datu Wong Hee Sieng; the ministry’s permanent secretary Tan Chee Kang; and F&N Holdings Bhd representative Yong Hua Yiing.