What began as a simple act at home has grown into a meaningful movement, with one teacher inspiring students and communities to embrace recycling and take responsibility for the environment.
Teaching the next generation to care for Earth
Like the saying goes, a little goes a long way — for secondary school teacher Sia Hock Shian, every act of recycling is a step towards saving the earth. Born and raised in Limbang, Sarawak, Sia’s first step into the “save the earth” journey was when she moved into her home in Kuching in 2015.
“Moving in, there were a lot of boxes that were still in good shape. Instead of throwing them away the old-fashioned way, I decided to sell the boxes to a recycling centre,” said the 47-year-old. Among those boxes were air-conditioned boxes, which she repurposed as bins to store her recycled items such as paper, aluminium, metal, plastic, and glass.
What started as something fun soon grew into a deep interest in recycling, reducing, reusing, repurposing, and repairing. This, she said, helped reduce wastage from products that could be recycled or reused.
Five years into her journey, through teaching the Moral subject at school, she incorporated recycling as part of her lessons with students. Enjoying their lessons, Sia added that in addition to learning, students could also earn a small side income from recycling activities.
Part of her teaching also involved organising recycling events.
“I would organise campaigns to talk about recycling or run activities for the students,” she said.
As a teacher, she hopes to bring a long-term impact to her students and fellow colleagues at school.
“I was proud of the teachers, students, and their parents for their efforts in protecting the environment through recycling. They brought items to be recycled, and the activities helped raise awareness about its importance. As a result, both the school and their homes became more organised and tidy,” she said.
The school also learned to reorganise and categorise items into recyclable and non-recyclable bins. She felt this was a meaningful lesson for everyone, and the school further encouraged students through competitions.
“I remember one student offered two milk cans of ring-pulls from canned drinks. According to the Form One student, the ring-pulls were part of an ongoing collection by their grandmother.”
Meanwhile, Sia also highlighted another student, Lewis Chai, who contributed plastic mineral water bottles during a programme organised last year. She noted that the student believed reducing waste is more important than recycling, often coming up with ideas to minimise rubbish.
“I also have a group of students who diligently recycle, and among the items they collect, there are certain things that can be reused. As such, beyond recycling, we can also make use of items that are still in good condition.”
One small step to something bigger
Whether at events or at church, Sia admitted she had to be thick-skinned when collecting plastic bottles and other recyclables strewn at events. When her recycle bin at home is full, she brings the items to the monthly recycling campaign organised by the Kuching City South Council (MBKS). For glass items, Sia said her friend collects them to be recycled elsewhere.
Despite the time and effort, Sia is willing to go to great lengths in her endeavour. She believes that God created the earth wonderfully for mankind, and it is our responsibility to take care of it for future generations.
“Many fail to see that the impact of our actions can create huge consequences. Beyond recycling, we should prioritise rethinking, reusing, reducing, repurposing, and repairing to minimise waste.”
Giving advice, Sia said that one can start small — by collecting what we already have around us.
“We don’t need much. But with the items that are collected, we can give them to friends who recycle. As someone who recycles, I would be happy if my friends gave me their items to recycle. To me, it would ease their recycling journey. I also have a friend who collects glass from me to be recycled.”
Before ending the interview, Sia expressed that as inhabitants of the earth, we can all play our part in giving back to the planet that has given us so much.
