Local social enterprise Hara Makers’ 10m-tall balloon was made entirely of three tonnes of single-use plastics.
ZERO Waste Malaysia (ZWM) and Hara Makers will kick off Plastic Free July 2023 by showcasing a 10m-tall installation made with plastic bags.
Over the past year, social enterprise Hara Makers have collected over 2,000kg of wastes.
“Of that, 60% comprised single-use plastic bags and food wrappers as well as the common plastic bottle, which usually ends up flowing downstream.
“Half of those single-use plastics were usually unbranded such as ikat tepi, straws or plastic bags,” said Hara Makers in media statement.
To address this and the climate crisis, non-profit organisation ZWM is organising an event called SUP.rise to showcase the aforementioned balloon made by Hara Makers entirely out of single-use plastic panels.
Over 60 volunteers took up to three days to set up the installation, which was created with more than three tonnes of collected plastic bags.
The plastic panels were pieced together over six months, with support from corporations, schools and volunteers.
SUP. rise is a call to rise up against the escalating wave of single-use plastic waste. The full stop within the name serves as a visual pause, inviting us to reflect on our relationship with plastic.
The name itself suggests that plastics are metaphorically “rising up to the sky,” serving as a stark reminder of the pressing need to address this environmental issue.
SUP.rise will be held at Parc, a newly relaunched community hub in Subang Ria, Selangor.
“We are excited about this collaboration with ZWM and Hara Makers,” said Parc’s Oei John-Son.
“The SUP.rise event aligns with our goal to showcase community and sustainable living.
“We hope this event will inspire people to adopt more sustainable practices in their daily lives,” said Oei.
The launch will include the Trashpedia Outreach Programme, Silk Screen T-Shirt Printing, a Zero Waste exhibition and a panel discussion on “Educating and Engaging communities”.
The Trashpedia Outreach Programme by ZWM is an immersive recycling collection activity, encouraging clean and proper waste segregation.
This recycling day is also supported by Muji Malaysia in their efforts to raise awareness about zero waste living.
“Since the launch of our Trash Encyclopedia in 2022, we have received positive feedback for having an all-in-one platform which breaks down recycling in the local context paired with zero waste alternatives,” said ZWM director and co-founder Khor Sue Yee.
She said that as part of ZWM’s effort to promote a more low-waste lifestyle, they invite the public to bring their clean and dry recyclables to the event “to learn as a community, to foster a powerful catalyst for action.”
Members of the public can register at https://bit.ly/zwmsuprise
