Dr Aslinda (third from left) presenting the award to SK Datuk Usman Awang teacher Mohamad Azizi. With them are (from left) Mohd Dom, Yahya, Zaidatul Zurita and Mohd Norlisam.
A STATEWIDE recycling campaign in Johor spanning four months saw the collection of more than 107,200kg of glass bottles from 60 primary schools.
SWM Environment corporate general manager Mohd Norlisam Mohd Nordin said the collection, carried out through its Kitarecycle reward-based system, achieved more than triple the original target.
He said the “Cabaran Kaca Pun Boleh” programme, held in collaboration with Yayasan Johor Corporation (JCorp), ran since July.
“The initial target was 30,000kg of bottles, but the schools managed to collect 107,202kg in total,” he said in a statement.
Mohd Norlisam added that the strong results reflected the commitment of pupils, teachers, parents and local communities.
“Because of this collective effort, the collected glass bottles were kept within the economic cycle instead of ending up at disposal sites,” he said.
By diverting thousands of bottles from landfills, this helped reduce an estimated 306,592kg of carbon dioxide emissions from glass factories.
Mohd Norlisam said SJK(C) Chung Hwa in Pontian once again emerged as the top collector in the glass bottle recycling collection category with more than 26,000kg, earning a prize of RM2,000.
“SJK(C) Ping Ming in Kluang and SJK(C) Foon Yew 5 in Johor Baru took second and third place respectively, receiving RM1,500 and RM1,300 in prizes.
“SK Parit Kudus in Pontian and SK Seri Mendapat in Batu Pahat were also among the highest contributors,” he added.
SK Seri Bulan in Batu Pahat won first place in the Best Glass Bottle Recycling Corner category, receiving RM1,000 in prize money.
SJK(C) Foon Yew 5 in Pasir Gudang won the Creative Glass Bottle Video category and received RM1,000.
Mohd Norlisam added that special awards were also introduced to recognise outstanding contributions from schools such as SK Parit Kudus in Pontian.
It was named Sustainable Aspirations School and received RM2,000 for its whole-school approach involving pupils and the surrounding community.
Teacher Mohamad Azizi Ilias, from SK Datuk Usman Awang in Kota Tinggi, was presented the ‘Sustainability Champion Teacher’ special award by Johor Baru City Council (MBPJ) Health Department director Dr Aslinda Salikin during the campaign’s closing ceremony.
Also present at the event were Johor Education Department senior assistant director (Science and Mathematics) Mohd Dom Dui, National and Johor Parent, Community and Private Sector Engagement Group focal person Datuk Yahya Jaafar and Yayasan JCorp chief executive officer Zaidatul Zurita Abdul Rahman.
Mohd Norlisam said the programme, which offered more than RM30,000 in prizes, was also supported by corporate partners under their environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.
The programme, he said, complemented efforts such as the Iskandar Malaysia Ecolife Challenge by strengthening students’ understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through hands-on environmental activities.
“This is aligned with Johor’s aim of raising a generation that is sustainability-aware, environmentally knowledgeable and capable of contributing to the state’s long-term development goals,” he said.
