It also aims to significantly reduce the amount of food waste from going to landfill

By S BIRRUNTHA / Pic By MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

SUNWAY Pyramid has launched a new food waste campaign, Food CPR (compost, plant, reduce), which intends to see a reduction of about 879 tonnes of food waste going to the landfill annually.

In line with United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Food CPR is also aimed at helping ease the issue of food waste in Malaysia.

Sunway Malls and Theme Parks CEO HC Chan said Sunway Pyramid collects 2.4 tonnes of food waste daily and up to 829 tonnes annually.

“Malaysians contribute to more than 16,000 tonnes of food waste every day, and it is enough to feed 12 million people daily. During the festive season, the figure goes up 20%, and I think we need to relook on our consumption and disposal habits.

“With this Food CPR campaign, we aim to significantly reduce the amount of food waste from going to landfill. It is also built to be a long-term campaign dedicated towards the issue of food waste,” he said in his speech during the launch of Food CPR event in Kuala Lumpur (KL) yesterday.

He added that Sunway Bhd will also feature a food waste compost machine as a permanent fixture in Sunway City KL.

“We have invested close to RM1 billion to develop this food waste compost machine, which we consider as a small investment into the future.

“The compost produced can be collected by the public during the on-ground event or at the permanent pocket area located at B1 in the mall.

“The compost produced will be ready for use two weeks after being mixed in garden soil, which can be used for growing plants,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sunway Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) CEO Datuk Jeffrey Ng said the Food CPR campaign is one of the group’s clear commitments to changing food waste habits in Malaysia.

“Sunway is committed to advancing the UN’s SDG. One of them is halving Malaysia’s food waste by 2030, which is a pledge made by our local government.

“If we, the nation, continue at our current rate, the pledge will not be met,” he said during the event.

According to Sunway, the on-site food waste compost machine which was designed by Mentari Alam EKO (M) Sdn Bhd (MAEKO) will be highlighted at the UN Solutions Summit in New York next week.

The Food CPR campaign is supported by the Sunway REIT, Sunway Resort Hotel and Spa, and the sustainable development department of Sunway.

The campaign will be held from now until Oct 6, 2019, at LG12 Central Avenue in Sunway Pyramid, where people can participate in potting workshops which includes seed planting.

Among the key partners that have joined the food waste campaign are 34 food and beverages outlets — including KFC, Boost Juice Bar, Gong Cha, Secret Recipe, Sushi King and Auntie Anne’s.

An interesting study done by MAEKO revealed that by 2020, there will be enough food waste to fill up 16 KLCC buildings.

The study also showed that food waste is the main contributor to landfill and it contributes to global warming, which continues to threaten the earth.