Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) through the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) continues its efforts to raise public awareness on the importance of reducing food waste through the Sustainable Deepavali 2025 Management Engagement Programme at the Bukit Jalil Stadium here today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, KPKT’s deputy minister, Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu stated that the programme focuses on the Value Food, Avoid Waste Campaign, which is implemented to educate the community on managing food prudently, especially during the festive season. The aim is to ensure traders and visitors are conscious of not wasting food, ultimately reducing solid waste sent to landfills.
Malaysia’s solid waste production is about 40,000 tonnes daily, with 44.5 per cent or approximately 18,000 tonnes being food waste. The campaign aligns with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, which aims to halve global food waste by 2030. At a global level, about one billion tonnes of solid waste is produced daily, with 60 per cent being food waste. In Malaysia, this figure stands at approximately 40 per cent.
Wasting food is considered unhealthy, especially as around 800 million people worldwide face hunger. In Malaysia, programmes driven by SWCorp serve as advocacies encouraging people to enjoy festivities responsibly without waste. The campaign also highlights reducing single-use plastics and practising prudent waste disposal.
Aiman Athirah noted that 300 food stalls and 50 SWCorp staff participated in the programme, which began on Oct 11 and will conclude on Oct 19. SWCorp’s chief executive officer Khalid Mohamed expressed the team’s commitment to maintaining the country’s cleanliness in collaboration with strategic partners like Alam Flora, aiming to achieve cleanliness on par with developed countries.
The Sustainable Deepavali 2025 Management Engagement Programme was conducted in collaboration with Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd and involved volunteers from the GEMA Malaysia Youth Organisation and ReMeal. The initiative also included distributing aprons, hats, awareness stickers to traders, and murukku and food containers to visitors.