Four Labuan schools vying to be best in waste management

Go green: Rithuan (fourth from right) launching Be Green 2023. Also present are (front row, from right) Hiffani, Simsudin and Siti Ayu.

KOTA KINABALU: Four schools in Labuan are vying to become the best in waste management in the Be Green 2023, a social impact programme from PETRONAS’ petrochemical arm, PETRONAS Chemicals Group Bhd (PCG).

The schools are SMK Labuan, SMK Taman Perumahan Bedaun, SM St Anne and SM St Anthony.

These schools will be represented by 10 students from Form Four and Form Five respectively, and will be competing in three categories namely most waste collected, most innovative products from recyclable wastes and best videos of their schools’ sustainability activities.

The Be Green programme is carried out by PETRONAS Chemicals Methanol Sdn Bhd (PC Methanol), a subsidiary of PCG, in collaboration with Labuan Corporation, Labuan Environment Department and Labuan Education Department.

The waste management competition was announced during the Be Green 2023 programme launch by Labuan Corporation chief executive officer Rithuan Mohd Ismail.

Also present were Labuan Corporation deputy chairman Simsudin Sidek and head of PETRONAS Sabah and Labuan, Siti Ayu Abdul Wahab.

PC Methanol chief executive officer Hiffani Mohd Jalil said while plastics were essential in people’s daily lives, more Malaysians should also be aware of responsible plastic waste management.

“This is why we are thrilled to bring our Be Green programme to students in Labuan, where we can equip them with the right knowledge and empower them to drive change at a young age,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The programme will conclude on Oct 22 with the announcement of the winners, followed by a beach cleaning activity with participating students and teachers.

Established in 2013, Be Green is one of PCG’s flagship programmes that aims to create positive impacts through education and collaborative recycling activities.

Participants will also be educated on the Plastic, Sustainability and You Education (PSYE) module which focuses on responsible plastics management and the importance of plastics circularity.

The module has been distributed to over 10,000 primary and secondary schools nationwide.