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Manjula Murugesan (left) holds a sample of the sturdy roof tile made from drink cartons similar to the one held by Asst Prof Dr Crystale Lim.

GROUP PHOTO: (from left) Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ Faculty of Applied Sciences Dean, Assoc Prof Dr Chan joined by Asst Prof Dr Crystale Lim and Manjula Murugesan as well as the CAREton Project @ Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University winners for a group photo.

CALL FOR ACTION: Manjula Murugesan speaking highly of the innovative approaches that Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ students undertook to collect more than 200kg of recycled drink cartons.

KUALA LUMPUR: Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University (Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­) recently hosted a prize giving ceremony for the ¡®Recycle this Raya: Carton Collection Competition¡¯ ¡ª an attempt to cultivate the practice of recycling in the University and surrounding community. 

The competition is the flagship event under the CAREton Project @ Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University, which supports Tetra Pak¡¯s collaboration with Nestl¨¦ to recycle used beverage cartons into roofing tiles. The tiles will then be used by non-governmental organisation ¡ª EPIC Homes ¡ª to construct homes for aboriginal (Orang Asli) families in need. The project is championed by the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FOAS). 

With a collection of 16.8 kg, the first prize winner for the competition was Ong Siax Ping, a student from the Faculty. 

The first runner-up with a collection of 16.6 kg is Asst Prof Satvinder Kaur A/P Nachatar Singh from FOAS followed by Andrew Morgan Tennant, Head of Department for Biotechnology with a collection of 8 kg of used beverage cartons. 

FOAS dean, Assoc Prof Dr Chan Hor Kuan joined by Environment Manager at Tetra Pak Malaysia, Singapore & Philippines, Manjula Murugesan presented the prizes to the winners. 

Manjula praised Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ for their initiative in encouraging recycling awareness among the younger generation. She also hopes that the other educational establishments in the country would follow suit and participate in Tetra Pak¡¯s recycling movement for the betterment of the society. 

¡°We would not have been able to proceed this far without partners like Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­. It is really impressive to see how innovative university partners can get to reach the target,¡± she added. 

From January to September 2015, a total of 200kg of used beverage and food packages have been collected through the CAREton Project @ Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University. This reflects a steady increase since the annual competition was first supported by Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ in September 2013. 

Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ is the first university in Malaysia to be a CAREton Project family member and the collaboration was initiated by Asst Prof Dr Crystale Lim Siew Ying, a lecturer of FOAS and the advisor of the CAREton Project @ Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University. 

According to Dr Lim, recycling is easy when lifestyle changes are made to inculcate recycling habits, so that recycling becomes second nature. 

¡°University students will be the next generation of leaders and decision-makers the moment they join society upon graduation. It is important for education institutions to grasp this opportunity to properly educate our future leaders,¡± she said. 

Fully supported by the Faculty and the University, the CAREton Project @ Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University is also now a Student Enrichment Programme (SEP). As a SEP, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ University Trust Scholarship students can choose to volunteer for it as part of their community engagement work. This ensures the Project has a steady stream of volunteers to ensure its continuity.