Everyone is demonstrating by their actions that it is possible to live without the ubiquity of single-use plastic.
These words by Zero Waste Malaysia panelist moderator Kuan CC ring loud and true at SUP.rise Launch, the first physical event for 2023 by Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM). Held on Sunday 2 July 2023 from 12 noon at PARC, Subang Ria, the Launch Event attracted over 300 visitors, both young and young-at-heart to commemorate Plastic Free July.
Numbers Speak Louder than Words
- 3 tonnes of Plastic Waste collected to build the SUP.rise balloon (shocking but true!)
- 89kg of various recyclables diverted from landfills thanks to the ZWM Trashpedia Outreach Programme, supported by MUJI.
- 10-metre tall balloon installation by Hara Makers, the creative people who made a giant balloon from single-use plastics.
- 3.5 hours of FUN packed with panel talks, a recycling programme, vendors serving yummy food & drinks, a photo session and more!
- 2 VIPs graced the occasion – YB Yeo Bee Yin and YB Michelle Ng. Both of them are dedicated to supporting sustainability initiatives and making the world a greener place.
What made SUP.rise different from other events?
The extraordinary opening ceremony. Imagine holding down a sky-high balloon flying in the wind while visitors gathered around it for a photo-taking session. Laughter mingled with sweat and tears as ZWM volunteers moved visitors around for the perfect shot below the balloon’s significant message that shouted “Say No to Single-use Plastics”.
Fortunately, our enthusiastic visitors were game enough to stand under the hot sun for the perfect shot before heading inside Parc for refreshing drinks and cool treats from our vendors. We all like good food but we all desire home-made and flavourful food made with love. Thanks to Picha Eats, Graze Eatery and TUG Gelato, everyone was more than sufficiently hydrated and filled with the best delicacies in the park. Best of all, everyone supported the no-plastics use request and brought their reusable cups and containers for the food and beverages.
Next up was the highly anticipated panel discussion on various topics, from stakeholders’ role in tackling the plastic crisis to changing people’s mindset on plastic use. Our esteemed speakers; Wong Pui Yi (Environmental Researcher), Lee Yoon (Co-founder of Hara Makers) and John-Son Oei (Founder of Epic, Parc) shared their valuable insights and passion for a cleaner and more sustainable Malaysia.
If you brought a white tee or tote, the ZWM silk screen printing team was more than happy to print the ZWM insignia on it. So visitors could wear their printed tee or carry their tote, loud and proud around town to show their support for a zero-waste Malaysia.
Walking around Parc revealed many other surprises. Visitors were greeted by a mini Zero Waste showcase and learned more about the Trashpedia Outreach Programme. One of the main highlights was the immersive recycling programme led by the young students of RICH Hero, a startup that empowers future change-makers. They educated visitors on separating their waste and emphasised the importance of clean recycling. Further, they accepted recyclables from the public and segregated them accordingly for collection at a later time. Any reward for visitors? Yes, of course. The first 60 people who brought clean recyclables were rewarded with an RM10 Muji voucher.
At the day’s end, the event concluded with a smile on everyone’s faces. It was a huge success! One lesson learnt from the event was to buy less, choose well and make it last.
Simple Tactics that made this Event Sustainable
- Refillable water solutions (water dispenser)
- Requesting vendors to abide by zero-waste guidelines
- Reusing materials for event deco & signage
- Zero Waste merchandise – encouraging people to bring their own old shirts/bags
- Recycling programme
- Low-waste experiences
We’d like to give special thanks to Hara Makers, Parc, Muji Malaysia, RICH Hero, Adelyn from Nourish & Nibbs, Aesop Malaysia and everyone else who made this event a success, we look forward to seeing you in the next round! For more photos, please visit our FB Page here!
We Let the People do the Talking
“The magnitude of our plastic problem is displayed creatively that day, bringing awareness and awesomeness at the same time.”
Hui Mun, ZWM Volunteer
“It made me happy that we managed to reach out to the local community. Several people who were exercising in the park early in the morning, came back later in the day to participate in the event.”
Irene Chooi, ZWM Programme Lead
“We had vendors who built their businesses around waste reduction, experts who are researching the little-known waste trade industry, organisations who are working with the local government to highlight pertinent issues and individuals who are demonstrating that small lifestyle choices can have a profound effect when adopted at a community scale.”
Kuan CC, ZWM Volunteer