A BIG part of Johor’s success in recycling can be attributed to participation from schools.
In Johor Baru, SJKC Foon Yew 2’s green efforts have earned them national recognition, clinching the National Primary School Recycling Champion title last year, after winning it in 2020 and 2024.
The school’s green education chief and teacher Tan Soo Sin said a key activity was their monthly recycling drive and Sustainability Club student leaders initiative that had since been adopted by other schools.
“The school has been running monthly recycling drives for the past four years.
“Initially, glass was excluded because few vendors were willing to accept it.
“At the time, glass had little resale value and processing costs were high.”
She said that changed in 2022 when waste management concessionaire SWM Environment Sdn Bhd introduced facilities for glass recycling.
“We then started working with dedicated vendors to send these glass items for recycling.”
Tan said the school could usually collect up to four tonnes of recyclable materials, including plastics, paper and cooking oil during their monthly recycling drives.
“Glass accounts for about 500kg to 600kg of our monthly programme.
“Parents now drop off bags of glass bottles and jars to be sent for recycling.
“The majority will rinse their glass containers before sending them to the school, which eases the recycling process,” she said.
During the monthly drives, the school’s 95 Sustainability Club leaders, comprising Year Four to Year Six pupils, are tasked with sorting and weighing the materials for record-keeping purposes.
Tan said SJKC Foon Yew 2 also facilitated door-to-door collection for parents and businesses with more than 30kg of recyclables to hand over.
“We are thankful for the support from parents and businesses who give these items to our school.
“The income generated goes to fund initiatives such as compost-making, rainwater harvesting and organising competitions that can benefit the pupils,” she said.
Tan has also been recognised by the Johor State Education Department (Johor JPN), receiving its coordinating teacher award in 2024 and 2025.
For Year Six pupil Neoh Shan Yif, 12, recycling has changed the way he views waste.
“I used to think recycling meant having to touch rubbish all the time.
“But after joining the club, I realised I could play a part in helping the environment.
“We have a set of standard operating procedures to follow when handling the recyclables, including glass, to prevent injuries,” he added.
Shan Yif said his interest in the environment began after his father took him to a rubbish-strewn playground.
His father then encouraged him to become involved in his school’s sustainability programmes.
“Besides learning about the environment and doing my part to help Mother Earth, being a sustainability leader has helped my soft skills.
“Since joining the club in Year Four, I have taken part in environmental competitions, which required me to conduct a lot of research for presentations, and this has helped sharpen my memory and improve my public speaking skills.”
He is currently working with his peers on an app that gamifies recycling, with hopes of encouraging more people to participate.
“We hope to make recycling fun and increase its appeal so that more young people will come on board and do their part for the environment,” he said.
