GEORGE TOWN: Eggshells, discarded egg cartons and a little cement are all it takes for five pupils to turn household waste into low-cost, recyclable plant pots.
Their Advanced Upcycle Bio Composite Eco Planter offers an alternative to conventional plastic pots by giving discarded materials a new lease of life.
The team comprises T. Ruthiishen, J. Shantosh, I. Eshann and K. Kuven, all 12, and S. Hilavarasi, 10.
They crushed the eggshells and egg cartons, mixed them with cement, moulded the mixture into pots and left them to dry.
A temperature monitoring sensor was incorporated into the system.
“Without cement, the pots would break easily.
“Normal plastic pots are not easily recyclable, so we wanted to make something recyclable using readily available materials,” they said at the Young Innovator Challenge 2026 at the Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC) yesterday.
A total of eight teams from primary schools took part in the event.
Most participants attended enrichment programmes at Sri Murugan Centre (SMC), an NGO that aims to uplift Indian youths and students from B40 households.
Another group – S. Kirthikaah, 12, S. Sai Shivani and T. Koshigaa, both 11, and S. Maulika, 10 – came up with a Smart Farming Irrigation System that uses soil sensors to monitor moisture and temperature, with the readings processed by a microcomputer.
The system automatically activates watering when soil moisture drops below 80%, allowing plants to be cared for even when their owners are away.
Students from SK Teluk Bahang developed a Smart Cane to improve mobility for the visually impaired.
Muhammad Ammar Safwan Mohd Kamsani, Nur Wafa Thahirah Rozaimi and Nurmiesya Zulaikha Azrulazwad, all 12, and Raysha Aylani Mafrizal, 11, equipped the cane with a sensor that triggers a buzzer when obstacles are detected within 40cm.
It also features a roller wheel to help users detect holes and uneven surfaces.
Five other pupils – A. Miitran, Y. Pravanth Ryan and R. Natushanahn, all 11, and K. Tristen Joel and A. Riyanash, both 10 – created a Smart River Pollution Monitoring and Cleaning System.
The system features a motorised float fitted with a conveyor belt to collect rubbish from waterways.
SMC co-director Dr J. Sumathi said the initiative sought to nurture children’s interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from an early age.
Citing Malaysia’s below-average performance in mathematics, reading and science in the Programme for International Student Assessment 2022, she said interest in STEM and enrolment in the science stream were declining.
“We need to inculcate curiosity because curiosity builds creativity, and that is where innovation takes place,” she said.
Sumathi said interest in science and mathematics should be nurtured from primary-school level, adding that the pupils had spent six months preparing their projects before presenting them.
