Johor makes good use of unsold food

A total of 2,248.28kg of surplus food and beverages from 46 Ramadan bazaars in Johor have been saved from the dumpster under the MySave Food programme, which began at the start of the fasting month. — THOMAS YONG/The Star

JOHOR BARU: Over two tonnes of unsold food and drink from Ramadan bazaars in Johor have been saved from ending up in landfills.

Johor Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) director Zainal Fitri Ahmad said the unsold food was collected via the MySave Food programme, which began at the start of the fasting month.

“As of March 26, a total of 2,248.28kg of surplus food and drinks from 46 bazaars have been saved from the dumpster.

“The collected items were donated to the needy, mosques and universities with the help of non-governmental groups, mosque committees and bazaar organisers,” he said during a buka puasa event with the media here on Wednesday.

The food saved during that period was more than that collected last year, said Zainal Fitri, adding that the figure had grown through the years since the programme kicked off in 2019.

“Last year, the programme managed to bring down the amount of food waste by 3.28%. We hope to further reduce food waste this year with the continuous effort with other campaigns to remind the public about avoiding wastage.

“MySave Food will run until Hari Raya Aidilfitri because the festive season typically contributes to a lot of food waste as well,” said Zainal Fitri, urging consumers to properly manage their food portions, especially during open houses.

Similarly, he said solid waste collection was expected to go up by some 20% as Hari Raya Aidilfitri drew near with households conducting spring cleaning and chucking away large items, such as old furniture.

“I would also like to remind the public to avoid disposing of rubbish and solid waste at illegal dumpsites.

“SWCorp has brought 58 cases to court from 2018 until March 26, with total penalties amounting to RM964,000 for illegal dumping,” he said.