KOTA KINABALU: There are now 129 business outlets in the city implementing the City Hall’s reduced plastic bag usage campaign.
These outlets comprise supermarkets, sundry shops, pharmacies and clinics located throughout the city, said City Hall Director General Datuk Yeo Boon Hai during the Earth Day celebration at SM All Saints yesterday.
He said schools such as SM All Saints have also pledged to reduce their plastic bag usage to support the campaign and care for the environment.
He said SM All Saints has also been recognized as a litter-free school, making it the 33th venue throughout the city to be given that recognition.
Yeo said the recognition is part of the City Hall’s strategy under the Anti Litter-Bugs campaign launched in 2008.
The main objective of the campaign is to educate members of the public to refrain from littering towards turning Kota Kinabalu into a litter-free city.
He urged the students attending the celebration yesterday to spread message on the anti-littering campaign to others.
On the Earth Day celebration which carries the theme “A Billion Acts of Green”, Yeo said its objective is to care for and protect the environment as well as inculcate love of the environment, particularly amongst students.
Schools, he said, are the best place to mould a future generation that appreciates the environment.
“It is a place to form their perception and personality towards the environment,” he said.
Among the activities held in conjunction with the event yesterday are competitions related to environmental issues, such as poster making, inventions, quiz, comic drawing and oratory.
Meanwhile, SM All Saints principal Tiong Ai Ping said the school has 1,500 students and that due to the huge population, could not depend on cleaners to maintain cleanliness.
As such, they have implemented a cleanliness programme which requires teachers at the school to monitor the cleanliness of each classroom and its surrounding area.
“The teachers are to write a report on their findings; the cleanest class is recognized during the school assembly held weekly,” she said.