KOTA KINABALU: A scheme to collect leftover food from restaurants and convert this waste into environmently friendly detergent has paid off for a group of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) students.
The students collectively known as Team Eco Tech and their idea emerged as one of the two winners of the Sabah leg of DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd’s Challenge for Change held at UMS from Oct 21 to 23.
Another team of undergraduate students known as Team Grand Ladies and their idea for a scheme to collect waste fabric to be made into quilts as a way for unemployed mothers to earn an income was chosen as co-winners of the challenge.
Both teams were named Sabah winners at an event attended by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai recently.
We did it: Eco-TechTeam members (from left) Leong Yeh Chwan, Gan Siaw Chin, Teng Yi Siew, Jong Lin Wei and Eric Wong Hong Jian showing the DiGi finalist passport for the next challenge in the national level. The two teams will represent Sabah in the national level challenge to be held next March.
The Eco Tech team comprising UMS second year biotechnology students Gan Siaw Chin, Leong Yeh Chwan, Eric Wong Hong Jian, Teng Yi Siew and Jong Lin Wei, in seeking to do something for the environment came up with their food waste to natural detergent plan.
Gan said the enzyme created from the food waste could not only be used as a liquid detergent, but also as a environmentally friendly fertiliser.
“It is simply made of one part brown sugar, three parts of the food waste and 10 parts water. Mix them in a container and the enzyme is ready in three months,” she added.
Nur Diana Jauny, leader of the Grand Ladies team, said their plan to collect fabric off cuts from textile factories and convert them into patchwork quilts created income opportunties for jobless single mothers.
“We hope to involve some 500 single mothers in this venture,” she added.
Yee said he was impressed with the plans of both teams and that their concepts would help society and the environment.
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