City Hall (DBKK) is committed to strengthening the residents’ love for the environment and recycling practice through its Creative Upcycle and Eco Bag for Green City programme.

Held at the compound of the DBKK building Sunday, the programme was attended by over 100 people, including youths and schoolchildren, in efforts to ensure Kota Kinabalu stay clean, beautiful and free from rubbish such as plastic.

As early as 8am, participants were divided into groups and picked up used items such as buntings, old fabric and food plastic wrap to be transformed into new reusable items such as shopping bags. 

For Siti Hazriani Kadir, 16, a Form Four student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tansau, the programme provides a platform for young people such as herself to further their knowledge and understanding of the importance of recycling practice in order to maintain environmental sustainability.

"I joined the programme because I want to learn how used items such as buntings and old fabric can be creatively transformed to produce quality and reusable products as well as for sale to generate income,” she said when met during the programme.

The Creative Upcycle and Eco Bag for Green City programme, held on the third Sunday of every month, is aimed at increasing public awareness of clean culture, as well as to embrace beautiful and healthy environment by adopting recycling and improving solid waste management practices. 

During the programme on Sunday, participants were asked to produce 48 pieces of eco bags based on their own creativity and innovation.

Another participant, Sally Edward Ghani, said the programme should continue as it could open the public’s mind to practise recycling to ensure a more sustainable future.

“The public are aware of the reduction in single-use plastics. I hope this programme will be able to reinforce that awareness and that the community will be more creative in producing more valuable goods through used items,” said Sally, who is also DBKK Building Control Department Director.

Meanwhile, DBKK Director-General Noorliza Awang Alip said the programme was hoped to enhance the culture of using eco bags among the community because it was an important step as well as creating awareness and enthusiasm for environmental conservation.