The eve of Thaipusam was made extra momentous by Ipoh City Watch (ICW) with the launch of a cleanliness campaign and the 13th KOHIJAU-ICYCLE recycling bin on Wednesday, February 8 at the Sri Subramaniar Temple in Gunung Cheroh, Ipoh.
“We’d like to educate all to not litter. The temple is helping us by contributing recyclables via the KOHIJAU-ICYCLE system. True to the concept of social business city, half of the proceeds from the sale of recyclables will be given to the temple. In turn, the money will be used by the temple to pay the employees to clean the temple. Hence, visitors and devotees will clean the area collectively via the recycling bins provided and the KOHIJAU-ICYCLE system,” said Dr Richard Ng, the president of ICW cum chairman of KOHIJAU (Koperasi Alam Hijau Perak Berhad).
Guest of honour, Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir highlighted, “We’ve to continue this big-scale campaign to inculcate in Perakeans the habit of picking up rubbish on their own and not depending on city council workers.” Present was Mayor Dato’ Zamri bin Man.
This scribe joined the volunteers on Thursday, February 9 along the 3km procession route. Just like the incredible energy waves radiated from the ongoing procession and rituals of Thaipusam, the determination of the campaign volunteers matched the devotion of the devotees. Their green placards added colour to the annual religious festival, as they marched on side by side.
Volunteers were stationed at respective points along the route next to the garbage bins provided by city council. Besides placards displaying messages such as “Keep Ipoh City Clean”, the volunteers were equipped with whistles to give visibility to the campaign.
Seven rickshaws and two pumpkin bikes provided by MBike also displayed the campaign message and helped in the collection of recyclables from the public along the Ipoh heritage trail and kavadi route. “We at MBike always support going green, hence we volunteer to help,” Camees Foong, owner of MBike told Ipoh Echo.
“This is a very good effort from KOHIJAU because it complements what we wish for the state. We want Ipoh, especially, to be one of the cleanest cities not only in Malaysia but in Asia. Of course, we’ve got a long way to go. But I believe that once we start raising the awareness, we can actually get the people to be cultured and also practise this good habit. This also complements Visit Perak Year 2017 because it sustains the environment and keeps Perak and Ipoh green and clean,” said Dato’ Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi, the Executive Councillor for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Multimedia and Communications after flagging off the campaign at the ICW booth.
This proactive approach made Perak the first state to launch a recycling programme at a temple. Dr Richard Ng expressed his gratitude to Dato’ V. Elango who mooted the idea, Dato’ Zamri bin Man and Clr Dato’ Thangarajah for providing 50 garbage bins for the campaign. Led by ICW, volunteers came from NGOs all over Perak. For instance, the homeless under the care of Teduhan Kelana, led by Datin Normah Hanum, former Perak Umno Wanita head, played a meaningful role during the campaign.
The KOHIJAU-ICYCLE bins are now located in 15 locations throughout Perak with the aim of achieving at least a 25% recycling rate in the silver state. The KOHIJAU-ICYCLE Recycling Reward Point System enables one to recycle for a sustainable environment and at the same time collect points to be exchanged for cash, shopping coupons or donated to welfare bodies. To date, it has registered over 530 members contributing over 3500kg of recyclables and accumulated a total of 8200 recycling points since its launch in September last year.
Register today at http://icycle-global.com. For more info, call 013 533 0989 or 012 525 6252.
Mei Kuan
