Chen (right) and a team member prepping their booth as they get ready to pack and weigh unsold food rescued from the USJ4 Ramadan bazaar to be distributed to welfare homes and B40 communities in Subang Jaya. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
SOME 300kg of unsold food rescued from the USJ4 Ramadan bazaar on day one of What A Waste’s (WAW) campaign were channelled to three welfare homes and B40 communities in Subang Jaya, Selangor.
“According to the United Nations guideline, 1kg of food waste produces the equivalent of 2.5kg of carbon dioxide emissions.
“This means that 300kg of rescued food is equivalent to a reduction of 750kg carbon dioxide emissions,” said WAW co-founder Alvin Chen, whose social enterprise rescues surplus food and distributes them to marginalised communities.
Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng said the USJ4 Ramadan bazaar at Jalan USJ4/5 was the first in Subang Jaya to implement a rescued food initiative with WAW. The initiative is supported by her office and Subang Jaya City Council (MBSJ).
“Any extra food that cannot be sold at the end of each day will be rescued and sent to people in need,” she said.
“We chose to have the campaign at a Ramadan bazaar to create awareness among the public and hope it will remind everyone to think about the waste we produce.
“Statistics show that there is usually an additional 10% to 15% increase in waste generated during Ramadan,” she added.
A trader packing surplus unsold food that will be handed over to What A Waste to be distributed to needy folk in Subang Jaya. — Courtesy of What A Waste
Chen said the excess unsold food was distributed to B40 communities, the destitute (asnaf), orphanages and welfare homes located within a 5km to 6km radius from the USJ4 Ramadan bazaar.
“Our beneficiaries differ daily to ensure fairness. It’s not just about finding willing receivers; we also have to be sensitive about malnutrition rates among B40 communities,” he said.
“It took time to get things going initially. Our team went from stall to stall to inform traders about the initiative; many didn’t realise the existence of a platform to handle surplus food.
“The WAW team will be on-site from 7.30pm until slightly past 9pm to handle the day’s surplus food that is already packed by traders and delivered to our booth.
“We will go through our stringent standard operating procedures to pack, weigh and distribute the food,” he added.
Chen said WAW hoped to send a “strong, stern and effective” message to the public on the important topic of food waste.
“This is not something new. It is an issue where there is no time for procrastination and excuses. We need to take action.
“We are happy to have strong support from the traders and we hope to be able to see replication of this initiative at other bazaars,” he said.
WAW started its campaign rescuing surplus food at the USJ4 Ramadan bazaar on March 29 and plans to run it until the last day of Ramadan.
Besides rescuing ready-to-eat surplus food from corporate functions, weddings and events, WAW also channels raw ingredients that are unsold or unwanted and dry food to communities in need.
Meanwhile, MBSJ has implemented several green initiatives at Ramadan bazaars under its purview, including banning polystyrene packaging and plastic straws, encouraging cashless transactions, having a used cooking oil recycling campaign and encouraging customers to bring their own food containers.
