KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) is intensifying its food waste prevention campaign through the Sustainable Deepavali 2025 Management Engagement Programme.
Deputy Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu stated the programme focuses on the Value Food, Avoid Waste Campaign to educate communities about prudent food management during festivities.
“Our focus is actually on ensuring that our traders and visitors remember not to waste food because we actually want to reduce solid waste sent to landfills,“ she told reporters after attending the programme at Bukit Jalil Stadium.
She revealed Malaysia produces approximately 40,000 tonnes of solid waste daily, with 44.5% or about 18,000 tonnes consisting of food waste.
The campaign aligns with Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 targeting a 50% reduction in global food waste by 2030.
“At the world level, there are approximately one billion tonnes produced per day for solid waste and 60% of it is food,“ she added.
Aiman Athirah described food wastage as unhealthy given approximately 800 million hungry people worldwide.
Programmes driven by SWCorp advocate for Malaysians to celebrate responsibly without wasting food.
The campaign also emphasises reducing single-use plastics and practising prudent waste disposal.
Three hundred food stalls participated in the programme running from October 11 to October 19.
Fifty SWCorp staff members joined the initiative alongside strategic partners and volunteers.
SWCorp chief executive officer Khalid Mohamed affirmed his team’s commitment to maintaining national cleanliness standards.
“We want to ensure that our homeland is clean and most importantly, our cleanliness is on par with developed countries,“ he said.
The programme involved collaboration with Agenda Suria Communication Sdn Bhd and volunteers from GEMA Malaysia Youth Organisation and ReMeal.
Activities included distributing aprons, hats, awareness stickers to traders and providing murukku and food containers to visitors. – Bernama
