KUCHING: About 210 trees were planted across seven zones in the Darul Hana Housing area today as part of the Sustainability Within, Green Earth Beyond 2025 programme to promote environmental sustainability.
Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh, said this positive initiative aimed to raise community awareness so that daily life is guided by environmental principles centred on sustainability.
“The programme also promotes proper management of recyclable waste, allowing items often considered as refuse to be repurposed.
“Such waste can serve as raw materials to generate income for the local community.
“And with the involvement of the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), and the Kuching North City Commission (DBKU), we are confident that this initiative can be expanded to other communities,” he said.
He said this when meeting with reporters after officiating the programme on behalf of Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan at Surau Darul Hijrah, Darul Hana, on Saturday.
He added that despite previous campaigns such as the collection of used cooking oil by NREB, DBKU and other local authorities, recycling rates remain low at around 10 per cent.
He stressed that food waste in particular is still high, especially at public functions, and requires immediate attention to prevent future environmental problems.
“That is why we want to strengthen our approach to food management and the use of raw materials to prevent problems, as recycling costs can be high.
“Hence, the way we use these materials must be looked at holistically to avoid facing difficulties in managing waste in the future,” he stressed.
Len Talif added that continuous efforts are needed to cultivate responsible consumption practices, particularly among students who can serve as ambassadors to share information on recycling and sustainable living.
“What we call ‘waste’ is not merely waste – as the Premier has said, don’t waste the waste, monetise the waste. That is the essence of the circular economy concept,” he added.
For the record, the inaugural programme also featured the planting of various species of landscape trees, including Lagerstroemia speciosa (Pride of India), Mimusops elengi (Tanjung flower), Bucida alba (White Bucida), and Casuarina equisetifolia (Sea Pine).
The tree-planting initiative reflects LCDA’s commitment to ensuring that the redevelopment of Darul Hana aligns with low-carbon urban development principles under the Environmental Sustainability pillar of the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, in response to the Premier’s call to plant more trees to create a greener and more sustainable urban environment.
For the record, the programme was organised by the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) in collaboration with the Sarawak Forest Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), Kuching North City Hall (DBKU) and the Seberang Hilir Villages Security Committee (JAKASEH).
