The Sumber Kita Project covers plastic use control education and a basic understanding of the recycling industry. This project will be implemented interactively to expand students’ knowledge of the causes of plastic pollution and instill a sense of understanding and consideration toward their plastic waste management. There are three (3) streams to this project, namely:

1) Implementation of a plastic collection system.

2) Interactive sessions to build capability.

3) Plastic recycling workshop session.

Implementation of Plastic Collection System

A plastic collection system will be carried out throughout the year aimed at collecting Type 2 (HDPE) and Type 5 (PP) plastics which will be handled by students in groups. The plastics collected will be recycled by relevant parties and the total amount of recycled materials will be recorded to measure the impact rate.

1. Student responsibilities:

● Store the collected plastic waste in a recycling bin and ensure that it is within a clean, odorless, and sealed environment.

● Ensure that each group member is using the recycling system to dispose of clean plastic only.

● Report to the guidance teacher to inform the EcoGarage mentor when the cycle bin is full before the arrival of the collection day.

● Record the weight of the collected plastic on the day of collection.

● Carry out environmental awareness dissemination work so that the school community can work together to maintain an effective recycling system.

● This includes utilizing various media to showcase environmental information and pasting infographic posters throughout the school.

2. Plastic waste collection bins

● EcoGarage provides 2 plastic recycling bins in the school environment.

● The location will be close to classrooms, school grounds, and canteens.

● EcoGarage will collect recycled plastic every week or every two weeks, depending on the amount of plastic collected.

Interactive capacity-building sessions

EcoGarage provides interactive learning content for 12 co-curricular sessions throughout the school’s academic year. The result of this is the development of students’ concept of sustainability and building students’ ability to apply this knowledge to various aspects of their lives.

●     Cyclic economics and linear economics

●     Personal waste management

●     Sustainable concept design competition

●     Micro-recycling workshop

●     Education and research on natural disasters in Malaysia

●     Sustainable entrepreneurship

●     Eco-bazaar 

This program makes use of IT room facilities in schools to facilitate and launch activities such as presentations from students and research sessions. Each session of the Sumber Kita Project will be conducted by one mentor from EcoGarage, two volunteers from the corporate side, and an accompanying teacher from participating schools. Students will be divided into groups of eight or 10 members to collaborate on activities, research, and weekly plastic collection reports.

Workshop session

The picture above shows a 3-in-1 micro-recycling machine capable of operating for 5 to 6 hours a day to crush plastic material until it is fine and melt the crushed plastic into a mold to be recycled into a new product. Micro-recycling is capable of exhibiting industry-grade recycling processes. Students will be guided by mentors and corporate volunteers to operate this recycling machine and carry out work such as distributing plastic into separate storage boxes according to color and type of plastic, crushing plastic, melting it, and refining the resultant product.

The recycling process:

Safety Assurance

● Students will always be under the guidance of a teacher, mentor, technician, or volunteer.

● Every student who will use a micro-recycling machine will wear gloves, goggles, and a face mask.

● The use of machines for each group will be conducted on a rotation basis for more effective monitoring.