Beat Plastic Pollution: Recycling for a Sustainable Future at Hari Alam Sekitar Negara 2023

• Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar and BUILDS, YTL Cement’s CSR arm collaborated to ignite environmental sustainability awareness and foster recycling habits.
• The event was supported by the Perak Department of Agriculture and officiated by the Perak Department of Environment.

KUALA KANGSAR, 5 October 2023 – BUILDS, the CSR arm of YTL Cement, Malaysia’s largest building materials group, in collaboration with Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar, has recently concluded the Hari Alam Sekitar Negara 2023 (HASN 2023) celebration in Perak. The event was supported by the Perak Department of Agriculture and officiated by the Perak Department of Environment. An array of activities was hosted at the vocational college with the aim of fostering environmental awareness and combating environmental pollution, as well as empowering students and the Perak community to embrace a sustainable lifestyle. As a result of the collective effort, 5279 kg of materials from the Perak community were collected and recycled during the Recycling Open Day.

Director of Perak’s Department of Environment, Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Mohammad Ezzani bin Mat Salleh officiated the event. He expressed, “I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to YTL Cement and Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar for their invaluable role in this year’s Hari Alam Sekitar Negara 2023, themed Beat Plastic Pollution. Plastic pollution is a growing global issue with long-term detrimental environmental impacts. Acknowledging this, the Department of Environment is fervently committed to combating this issue within the Perak community, starting with awareness and educational programmes akin to today’s event. Indeed, collaboration is key for us to achieve meaningful change in environmental sustainability.”

The HASN 2023 celebration in Perak was officiated by the Director of Perak’s Department of Environment, Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Mohammad Ezzani bin Mat Salleh.

Showcasing Sustainable Exhibits

At the event, students from diverse disciplines, such as culinary arts, early childhood education, and automotive, among others, seized the opportunity to showcase creative environment-themed exhibits. Some innovative creations include furniture, food products and even learning materials, all brilliantly crafted from recycled and used materials.

Students from different disciplines showcased their talent in turning recyclables and used materials into innovative creations.

Fostering Recycling Habits

Complementing this effort, BUILDS, also donated a set of recycling bins to be placed in college premises, with an aim to reinforce recycling habits among students and lecturers.

Three recycling bins were donated to inculcate recycling habits among the college’s students and lecturers.

Forging Lasting Impact through Tree-planting

To forge a lasting impact on the environment, distinguished guests of the event joined hands with the students in a tree-planting activity. Donated by YTL Cement, 10 Pokok Kelat Paya were planted on the event day within the grounds of Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar.

YTL Cement, through BUILDS has also committed to planting an additional 105 fruit trees sponsored by the Perak Department of Agriculture. The additional trees will be planted within the college, in the compound of other Perak schools, and on the grounds of YTL Cement’s subsidiary Perak Hanjoong Simen Sdn Bhd, by the end of 2023, which underscored a collective endeavour for a greener environment.

Director of Perak’s Department of Environment, Dato’ Ts. Dr Haji Mohammad Ezzani bin Mat Salleh planted a Pokok Kelat Paya in the college’s compound.

Dato’ Halimah Hassan (R) planted a Pokok Kelat Paya.

Mr. Lee Kwee Soon, Senior General Manager, Perak Hanjoong Simen Sdn. Bhd. joined the tree planting activity.

Raising Environmental Awareness

The Hari Alam Sekitar Negara 2023 celebration concluded with nearly 200 students of Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar attending an Environmental Seminar hosted by Mr Muhammad Izwan bin Mohammad Aminuddin, Control Officer from the Perak Department of Environment. The seminar encouraged students to use their available resources wisely and provided key insights on how they can adopt a sustainable lifestyle.

Mr Muhammad Izwan bin Mohammad Aminuddin, Control Officer from the Perak Department of Environment delivered the talk.

Puan Hajah Juriah binti Ahmad, Director of Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar, also shared the sentiment, “Since 1991, Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar has been championing initiatives to increase awareness on the importance of protecting our environment. This year, we are proud to see all layers of society joining hands, such as students from Padang Rengas schools, our college students, local communities, government agencies and even industry players, coming together to celebrate our environment and make a difference.”

Puan Hajah Juriah binti Ahmad, Director of Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar, delivered a welcoming remark.

Encouraging Recycling Habits

Embracing this year’s theme, Beat Plastic Pollution, YTL Cement, alongside its subsidiaries in Perak had also launched the Recycling Open Day on 30th September 2023 in Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar with an aim to foster the 4R habit (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) among the local communities, college students and lecturers as well as YTL Cement employees. The endeavour saw encouraging public turnout, resulting in 5279 kg of recycled materials donated to the college. The materials were then given a second life, as they were sold to a registered recycling contractor, with the proceeds reinvested for the college’s future environmental programmes.

15 volunteers from YTL Cement and 35 students and lecturers from Kolej Vokasional Kuala Kangsar sorted the recycled materials.

Recyclables were sorted according to their categories before they were collected by the registered recycling contractor.

Proceeds from the recyclable sales were channelled to the college for their future environmental programmes.

Dato’ Halimah Hassan, Director of YTL Cement, shared, “Over the years, YTL Cement and its subsidiaries have taken immense pride in building together with the Perak state and have played a key role in its development. Our team is honoured to be part of this year’s celebration as we witnessed great collaboration among the state government, educational institutions, and industry players, joining hands with a shared purpose. We know that it is our social responsibility to ensure a greener future for generations to come, and through meaningful collaborations, we can mark a significant stride towards a more sustainable future.”

Dato’ Halimah Hassan, Director of YTL Cement, delivering her speech.