Tzu Chi volunteers spreading environment awareness via talk on recycling

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KOTA KINABALU: Many may not know that plastic bottles can actually be used to produce blankets, T-shirts, and shoes.

In fact, the textile industry is only one of the many industries that can benefit from recycled items.

This was one of the main points the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu) wanted the villagers in Kampung Sembulan to be aware of.

“We want to encourage villagers here to collect their recyclable wastes instead of simply disposing them.

“The main three most common items are newspapers, plastic bottles, and aluminium cans,” said its Kota Kinabalu person-in-charge, Ong Tuen Yiok.

Ong was leading a team of Tzu Chi volunteers spreading environment awareness through a talk on recycling, as part of the My Rubbish, My Responsibility Campaign organised by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall, at the Sembulan Multipurpose Hall, here yesterday.

City Hall director-general, Datuk Yeo Boon Hai, officiated at the closing ceremony of the seminar, yesterday.

Ong disclosed that the international non-profit organisation’s presence in Kota Kinabalu is now 18 years old, and had been actively promoting environmental awareness on recycling since 1998.

Judging by the amount of collection on recyclable items, he said, the response had been encouraging.

“We are able to collect around more than RM20,000 worth of recyclable items in a day. Every year, we manage to raise about RM300,000 for our charity funds,” said Ong.

He said that Tzu Chi has about 300 volunteers in Kota Kinabalu, two recycling centres, namely in Kolombong and Taman Suria, Penampang, as well as about 20 collecting points in schools and community centres for their monthly collection programmes, held every fourth Sunday of the month.

Ong added that Tzu Chi would sell off all recyclable items to contractor collectors, who would then process them to be exported to and recycled into various useful everyday items.

All proceeds from the
recyclable items are used by
Tzu Chi for its charity activities, including taking care of 170 deprived families in
Kota Kinabalu areas such as single-mother families as well as those who are hardcore poor.

“These families are aided with financial assistance and goods such as rice or Milo on a monthly basis, using the money we collected from the recyclable items,” said Ong.

The awareness level on recycling, Ong commented, had improved over the years as more and more people are recycling based on awareness rather than driven by monetary gains.

He also encouraged more people to become volunteers, by first taking part in their montly collecting programme, held in locations such as Towering Industrial Estate, KK High School, Luyang Multipurpose Hall, Tanah Emas Penampang, SK (C) Cheng Hwa Papar, Damai Multipurpose Hall, Taman Antarabangsa Likas hall and SJK (C) Chen Sin Tuaran.