Residents of Desa Tambun Indah along with members of Ipoh City Watch (ICW), Lions Club of Perak Silver State and Ipoh City Council organised a joint gotong-royong recently. The event, held at the housing estate on Saturday, October 15, was aimed at promoting a clean environment via recycling, anti-littering and keeping rivers clean.
Some 150 people participated in the morning programme. They painted the rusty bridge along Jalan Perajurit over Sungai Pinji linking Ipoh Garden East and Bandar Baru Tambun, erected a signboard warning people not to throw rubbish into the river, cleared the grass along the tarred walkway and distributed leaflets and recycling bags to residents.
Among those who attended the programme was Lions Club 308B District Governor, Jennifer Kim who was given the honour to unveil the signboard. She thanked the Residents’ Association and Ipoh City Watch for inviting Lions Club. “We’re honoured to be given this opportunity at a time when Lions Club International is celebrating its centennial anniversary. The club will play its role in educating the people to be responsible and committed in making the environment safe and clean,” she said.
Jennifer praised Ipoh City Watch for implementing the KOHIJAU (Koperasi Hijau) I-Cycle computerised recyclable-tracking system in promoting 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle). Under the system, individuals and non-governmental organisations, who have signed up with KOHIJAU I-Cycle can earn points from the recyclables they dispose.
The system, similar to the BonusLink concept, will enable contributors to checkpoints collected online and decide what they want to do with them. They can redeem with products or cash or donate their points to charity. A recycling bin is placed in Desa Tambun Indah and another along Jalan Perajurit near the shops for this purpose.
Adherents of the KOHIJAU I-Cycle system presently are residents of the Ipoh Loyal Apartment, Rukun Tetangga Jelapang and SMK Raja Chulan, Ipoh.
There is no entry fee. Members will be given a barcoded account number each, which will be stuck to their recycling bags for tracking purposes. Points collected will be updated in their accounts, which can be checked online.
A portion of the profits generated will be ploughed back to the society, including NGOs, to help keep the environment clean. This is in line with the Social Business City concept espoused by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus. Ipoh City Council has adopted the concept making Ipoh the fifth city in the world to do so.
Incidentally, ICW is the first NGO to incorporate the concept in resolving social problems affecting the city.
Dr Richard Ng
