April 19, 2021 @ 9:15am
THE government should introduce environmental conservation as a subject in schools, with a focus on education and awareness of the economic, social and environmental impact of food wastage.
Environmentalist Dr Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir said this was a viable long-term solution to problems associated with plastic and food waste.
Failure to do this, she said, would result in food waste remaining a perennial issue, especially during festive periods such as Ramadan and Hari Raya.
Sharifah Mazlina, who is Permata Greenland Organisation chairman, said it was crucial that good habits to stop food waste were inculcated among Malaysians at a young age.
She said this would help protect the environment and slow global warming.
"The school syllabus has to include a subject on environmental conservation, covering consequences and preventive actions to reduce food waste in schools.
"The authorities can emulate countries such as Canada and Japan, where such a move has helped create a society that values food and cares for the environment."
Sharifah Mazlina, who is also chairman of the All Women's Empowerment to Accelerate, was responding to concerns raised by Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man over increasing food waste recorded during the fasting month.
Tuan Ibrahim had said some 10,000 tonnes of leftover food and plastic materials were thrown away daily, less than a week into Ramadan.
He said this behaviour by locals, night market traders, Ramadan bazaar operators and eateries could lead to pollution.
Sharifah Mazlina said the ministry and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry could encourage patrons of Ramadan bazaars to bring their own food containers.
The move, she said, would not only help reduce pollution but also help traders reduce their cost.
"If we can have regulations that require customers to pay 20 sen for a plastic bag, why not have consumers bring their own food containers when shopping at Ramadan bazaars? Such a move will not require the government to pass a bill in Parliament.
"And to protect consumers from profiteering, the Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Ministry could set guidelines on prices of food bought by customers using their own containers."
Environmentalist Gurmit Singh agreed that encouraging consumers to bring containers could be an immediate solution.
He said bazaar traders would also encourage the move by offering discounts to customers who bring containers.
"Having said that, action must be taken immediately since food waste is expected to increase by up to 20 per cent compared with normal days," he said.
He also urged the government to conduct regular campaigns on food waste awareness.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) deputy secretary-general Nur Asyikin Aminuddin said there was a need for more cohesion among stakeholders — the government, non-governmental organisations, researchers and the private sector — to raise awareness among the people.
Such campaigns, she said, should not be one-off, but go on for at least five years in order to change the people's mindset.
"In 2017 and 2018, Fomca together with Forum Air Malaysia conducted a campaign utilising grants from a United Nations environmental programme called 'Feed People, Not Landfills'.
"We approached students and the community in each state and educated them on the side effects of food wastage on the environment.
"The campaign had a good outcome. Three months after the campaign, all schools involved began introducing waste separation bins," she said.
Nur Asyikin said since the Covid-19 pandemic had also presented financial challenges to the people, the campaign could be effective if they were educated on how to recycle food waste into compost.
She said this could encourage people to plant their own greens and save them money.
"Nevertheless, such a campaign requires strong cooperation from all parties in order to achieve its objective," she said.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/04/683390/conservation-should-be-school-subject