The Kampar Zero Waste mural, painted by 10 Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Public Relations (PR) students of Group 1, was officially launched on 25 April 2022 at Pasar Awam Kampar.

Present to officiate the launching ceremony were Majlis Daerah Kampar (MDKpr) Councillor Rafidi bin Mohd Razli, representing Yang Dipertua AMP MDKpr Tuan Abdul Halim bin Saad, and UTAR Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology Dean Ir Prof Dr Ng Choon Aun, representing UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat. Also present were Pegawai Tadbir (Setiausaha) N48 Siti Azura binti Haji Juki, MDKpr members Ng Wah Leng, MDKpr Pegawai Tadbir N41 Jabatan Kesihatan Awam Mohd Izham bin Ahmad, and UTAR PR lecturer-cum-project advisor Diong Fong Wei.

Led by Group 1 Director Wong Yean, with the tagline Serving the Community, Restoring Faith in Humanity, the mural was part of the students’ ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project which they collaborated with MDKpr to educate the Kampar community about reducing the use of single-use plastic and the consequences of using excessive plastic on the environment. The project is aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, as well as, the goal of MDKpr which is to achieve the Zero Plastic mission (2018 – 2030). The project was also held to commemorate UTAR’s 20th anniversary.

Wong who thanked MDKpr and UTAR for the success of the project, said, “Single-use plastic has been causing devastating impacts on our oceans, wildlife and health. Therefore, this project was initiated to reduce the use of single-use plastic among the Kampar community. The mural aims to promote the reduction of single-use plastic through waste management information and educate the public on the adverse environmental effects of single-use plastic. I hope the mural will serve as a continuous reminder for the community to reduce the use of single-use plastic. Through this project, we were able to serve the community and learn the importance of community service.”

Prof Ng said, “It is always exciting to see the students’ passion and commitment in organising activities, especially one as such which aims to benefit the community. As an educational institution, the University does not only prioritise the acquisition of knowledge, but also the application of it in real life. Therefore, we have always been supportive towards our students’ activities, which are good platforms for them to gain exposure and new experiences that will prove beneficial for their future careers.”

He added, “I am glad to see the passion of serving the community remains strongly ignited in the hearts of our students, as it also continues to be passed down from one batch to the next. So many projects have been organised to benefit the community, as well as to educate and raise awareness on some pressing issues. For instance, the Tiada Kuman, Tiada Jangkitan gotong-royong project which was jointly organised with MDKpr a few weeks ago in Kampung Baru Mambang Diawan aims to prevent the spread of dengue. I hope our students will continue this effort and inspire others to follow.”

Rafidi expressed, “I am confident that this project will raise the awareness of the community of the adverse effects of single-use plastic and cultivate in them a sense of responsibility towards making Kampar free of single-use plastic. The collaboration with the students has also provided us with the opportunity to drive further changes and make the lives and environment of Kampar better. I was informed that the students have conducted various smaller activities to educate the community on the impacts of single-use plastic and their effort is truly commendable. I congratulate the team on this success and I hope more will join in the effort to reduce the use of single-use plastic.”

Apart from painting the mural, the students have also organised roadshows and social media challenges which aimed to encourage the residents to reduce the use of single-use plastic. The students hosted their campaign roadshow at the Bazaar Ramadan, Kampar on 11 April 2022 to educate the public and hawkers on reducing single-use plastic. Other than that, a social media 7-day challenge was also initiated to raise awareness among the public on straw-less drinking practices by using the hashtags #noplasticstraw, #kamparzerowaste, and #7dayschallenge.

This project is under the main UTAR PR CSR PROJECT 2022, carried out by a total of 80 PR undergraduates from the January Trimester 2022 to fulfil the coursework requirement of a course – UAMP3084 Corporate Social Responsibility. The students are divided into eight groups to carry out various CSR projects concerning economic, environmental and social demands in meeting the needs of the local community members and promoting environmental sustainability to improve the lives of the people in Perak.