Bring your own water bottles, Sarawak Rainforest festival goers told

KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), one of Sarawak's top events, is going greener in its 22nd edition this year.

For a start, festival goers will be encouraged to bring their own reusable water bottles to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

RWMF organiser Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will work with Cuckoo International to install 20 water stations throughout the Sarawak Cultural Village, where the festival will be held on July 12-14, to provide free drinking water to visitors.

"This will make possibly the biggest impact at RWMF this year as it will greatly reduce the amount of single-use plastics at the festival.

"We will not be selling bottled water at the RWMF venue. Festival goers can purchase limited-edition stainless steel collapsible cups but we still advise them to bring their own bottles," STB chief executive Sharzede Salleh Askor said on Tuesday (May 28).

She noted that over 60,000 plastic water bottles were collected at last year's festival, leading to the introduction of free water stations this year.

STB will also work with various partners on a waste management strategy at the festival.

Trienekens will provide bins for festival goers to segregate their waste between recyclables and food waste, while Biji-Biji Initiative will synchronise waste management across multiple waste stations.

The rubbish bins will be colourfully decorated by university students in a bid to encourage proper waste disposal and segregation.

"RWMF is the perfect platform for eco-friendly initiatives because it draws in over 22,000 people.

"We believe strongly that RWMF is beyond music. It can showcase what responsible tourism looks like," Sharzede said.