On October 1, Zero Waste Malaysia held its 3rd Zero Waste Festival at Taylor’s Lakeside Campus. The aptly named “Under The Stars: Zero Waste Festival” greeted over 2,000 individuals and featured many activities including low-waste workshops, a Zero Waste Marketplace, Zero Waste Picnic, Zumba sessions, and an Open Mic Night filled with talent.
The key highlight of this festival was that it brought a new concept to how events can be run: Sustainably. This was accomplished alongside key Zero Waste Ecosystem partners: Trashcycle, Tapauware, and Opack, who offered a collection of recyclables and rental of food containers. Education about waste generation and reduction was delivered through mini-games utilising ZWM’s latest resource, the Trash Encyclopedia – an all-inclusive online tool to learn about 101 common Malaysian household trash items and how to live more sustainably. The KakiRepair team was there as well to teach people about fixing broken items including electronics and toys.
The Festival was a success thanks to the support of over 30 vendors who agreed to serve and sell package-free, reducing the usage of single-use disposables like plastic cutlery and plates. A joyous zero-waste picnic session was supported by attendees who brought their own (BYO) reusables or rented them from available partners, proving that picnics can be enjoyed without single-use disposables.
Under The Stars would not have been possible without the firm support of our main sponsor IHH Healthcare Malaysia and venue sponsor, Taylor’s University.
IHH Healthcare Malaysia’s Head of Sustainability, Puteri Sarah Karina, “When lesser waste is being produced by an individual, there will be less waste collected at any organisation, meaning more waste being diverted from landfills. IHH Healthcare Malaysia has just embarked on this journey and collaborating with ZWM made it easier for us to introduce the right habits to reduce waste in line with our sustainability aspirations to Care. For Good.”
The festival was also attended by Bukit Gasing state assemblyman Rajiv Rishyakaran, who added, “I am genuinely impressed at the intricacy and planning of the zero-waste team to create an ecosystem where going zero-waste was seamless for the day. All the vendors avoided unnecessary packaging and encouraged people to bring their own containers. They also provided container rentals for those who might forget, knowing, and understanding the Malaysian behaviour well. I hope for more events like this, because it acts as an entry point and a real-life demonstration to encourage people to embark on a zero-waste lifestyle”.
Mission 30: Zero Waste Challenge
The journey doesn’t stop here. Zero Waste Malaysia is hosting a 30-Day Zero Waste Challenge called “Mission 30: Zero Waste Challenge” throughout the month of October.
The goal of the challenge is to encourage participants to take small steps towards a more sustainable lifestyle, by attempting to complete as many of the 30 daily zero waste actions as possible. It is not a requirement to complete all actions, but those who do stand a chance to win prizes worth a total of over RM9,000. Participants must take a photo of each challenge completed, post it on their Facebook or Instagram account with #30DAYZWM and #bersamakitazerowaste, and tag Zero Waste Malaysia’s official corresponding social media accounts.
