Thirty-five undergraduates from the Bachelor of Communication (Honours) Public Relations programme collaborated with Majlis Daerah Kampar (MDKpr) to carry out an all-day recycling event on 3 September 2022 at the Heritage Hall of UTAR Kampar Campus.

Besides promoting the importance of 5R (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle) which aims to protect the environment and decrease the rate of flash floods in Kampar, the event was also held to commemorate the University’s 20th anniversary. A series of activities such as workshops, talks, and exhibitions were organised for the public. In addition to dance and music performances, the event’s highlight, 5R Fashion Design Competition, attracted over 500 people.

A talk titled "Waste Management: Where Should the Waste Go?" was delivered by Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology academic Ts Dr Wong Ling Yong, an expert in environmental care, as well as green and sustainable technology. He is also the project leader of the Green Bank project at UTAR. During the talk, he explained the importance of waste management and the reasons for supporting the practice of 5R in building a sustainable environment. Ts Dr Wong emphasised, “If you want to control the landfill, then you should do something for the world. That is why we practice 5R. Turning the waste to wealth.”

While sharing his habit with the participants, Dr Wong said, “For me, reusing is very important. Bringing my container box is a way to practise reusing. While I reuse, I am also refusing and reducing.” Finally, Dr Wong mentioned that the event provided an excellent chance for him to connect with society and educate them on the importance of practising 5R in their daily lives to reduce landfills in Malaysia.

Apart from the talk, free workshops were also held on the same day. Workshop 1: Sekuntum Bunga and Workshop 2: Tote Bags and Origami Masu Box aimed to motivate participants to recycle common household materials and inspire their creativity in bringing a second life to recyclable items. Kampar resident Kok Soon Lan, who was a participant of the workshops, shared that she joined the workshops because she was fascinated by the handcraft on display. Some Kampar citizens also shared that the workshops enlightened them on a new and different practice compared to their usual recycling routine.

Exhibition boards were placed in the Multipurpose Hall to provide detailed information about the project to the public. The soft-launch gimmicks and garments were also put on display for the public to observe. The highlight of the day was R-Show in Kampar: 5R Fashion Show Design Competition which took place at the night. More than 300 participants who were interested in practising sustainability and cared for the environment attended the show.

UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong said, “I was told the clothes that will be showcased later are made of recyclables. The designers must have spent a lot of time planning and putting the waste materials together. UTAR fully supports the efforts toward waste management, including the R-Show in Kampar, which is considered one of the waste management activities on campus.”

He added, “We believe in ‘You won’t get it until you do it yourself’. UTAR has always been supportive of students’ activities such as the current one because these are good platforms for them to get hands-on experience and gain real-life exposure. The students will then be equipped with skills that they may find useful when they start working."

Organising committee Lee Teng Xuan enthused, “I would like to express my gratitude towards the university for giving us the opportunity to be involved in the planning and execution of such a project which has enabled us to experience the handling of a project while serving the local community at the same time. We hope that, through our effort, we will be able to inspire other UTAR students to come up with great ideas or plans to serve the community better and make society a better place.”

She added, “We hope organising events such as the R-Show in Kampar can offer you a new perspective on waste by not treating them as mere trash. Almost any everyday items that are trash-bound can be upcycled.” 

The winners of 5R Fashion Design Competition, Andy Choo Tek Seng and Mike Yong Kok Zhi mentioned that their work was inspired by the streetwear and hypebeast culture as well as their urge to go for a vacation after two years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They decided to take part in the competition because they enjoyed DIY and fashion design.

Andy Choo added, “We didn’t expect to emerge as the champion of the competition. We just wanted to share our creativity in fashion initially since we enjoyed DIY. Winning is a bonus, we are grateful that the judges and the audience liked the design.”

The second-runners up of the 5R Fashion Design Competition, Yang Zhixin, Ruan Yulu, and Kee Wei King explained that their work was inspired by the idea of a mini skirt. They participated in the competition because they find this fashion show different from conventional fashion shows. This recyclable-themed fashion show, according to them, has brought a new form of fashion that transforms recyclables into beautiful clothes.

Kee said, “I would like to thank my team. Without a group work effort, we would have not won this competition. Thanks to the organising committee members for planning and executing this competition. Throughout this competition, we realised the items we considered trash can be turned into a pretty yellow dress.”

UTAR student Lau Pei Ying said, “It is a unique fashion show; a great idea that is out of the box. It was interesting to watch the designers explain their inspirations and plans for using recyclable items. It is a fashion show that we seldom have the chance to see. I hope to see more similar events in the future.”

Project Advisor Diong Fong Wei said, “The idea of recycling is not new, yet it is crucial and the practice of recycling must be continued and passed down from generation to generation. Thus, to instil the habit of recycling among the young generation, we need to think of creative ideas such as this fashion show. I am hopeful that our participants know more about recycling now, especially the practice of 5R.”