DAILY, a staggering 1,750 tonnes of waste find their way to Pulau Burung landfill, with food waste comprising a substantial 40% of this overall volume, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Chow said this in his speech during the Green Pinang Awards Presentation Ceremony 2023 at St Giles The Wembley Hotel in George Town this evening.
“It is our collective responsibility to address food waste, given the alarming statistics,” he said.
Also present during the awards presentation ceremony were state Social Development, Welfare and Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Lim Siew Khim, state Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu, state Agrotechnology, Food Security and Cooperative Development Committee chairman Fahmi Zainol and Penang Green Council (PGC) general manager Josephine Tan Mei Ling.
Speaking about the programme, Tan said the theme of the Green Pinang Awards Presentation Ceremony this year is ‘A Symphony of Sustainability’.
“It reminds us that Earth is our only home, and we all have a responsibility to protect its resources,” she said.
Tan highlighted that PGC is actively advancing education and promotion of green practices in the workspace, specifically for this year’s Penang Green Office Certification category.
“There are 40 certified offices this year, comprising 13 government offices and 27 private offices.
“Congratulations to these offices and organisations for taking the initiative to be at the forefront of positive changes, contributing to a better environment.
“We also take this opportunity to announce the winners of the annual Penang Green Journalism Award.
“The goal of this award is to inspire more media professionals to participate in environmental writing, fostering awareness in our communities. Tonight, we celebrate seven winners – four for feature writing and three for photojournalism,” she said.
In the Penang Green Journalism Award, Audrey Mellanni Dermawan from New Straits Times secured the Excellence award in the English category, while Siti Aminah Mohd Yusof, also from New Straits Times, earned the Excellence award in the Bahasa Malaysia category.
In the Bahasa Mandarin category, Chuah Kai Ying from The China Press received the Potential award, and in the Bahasa Tamil category, Subatra Adacapan from Tamil Malar also clinched the Potential award.
Moving on to the photojournalism category, Muhammad Zainul Ariff Ahmad Sarbri from Bernama emerged as the champion, with Muhammad Mikail Ong Abdullah (from NST) and Lim Beng Tatt (The Star) claiming second and third place respectively.
“Meanwhile, in this year’s incentives programme, we will present the Penang Rainwater Harvesting Incentive to three recipients, and the Food Waste Challenge Incentive will be awarded to two deserving recipients,” she said.
Chow congratulated all the award winners and incentive recipients.
“Congratulations to all the winners and incentive recipients for your dedicated efforts and outstanding achievements.
“I encourage you to persist in your endeavours and inspire others to become environmental leaders. The future is in our hands, and we must not take nature and Mother Earth for granted.
Let each of us play our part and share love for our planet,” said Chow.
In the Penang Green Office Certification category, the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) stood out by securing the most awards.
Other notable winners among industry players include Eco World Wellness (M) Sdn Bhd (NIHOMA Group of Companies), Globetronics Sdn Bhd, Polydamic Sdn Bhd, Dell Global Business Center Sdn Bhd (Cyberjaya), Cycle Trend Industries Sdn Bhd, CLPG Packaging Industries Sdn Bhd, Aemulus Corporation Sdn Bhd, and several others.
Under the Penang Rainwater Harvesting Incentive category, recipients include LBH Architect, SJK (T) Sungai Ara, and SJK (C) Moh Ghee Cawangan.
Meanwhile, in the Food Waste Challenge Incentive category, recognition was bestowed upon Golden Highway Auto-City Sdn Bhd and Dell Global Business Sdn Bhd (Plot 27).
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix and video by Alissala Thian