Image: fighteden / DeviantArt
The Tourism Ministry has just declared George Town as a clean city, thanks to the state government's efforts in maintaining the city's cleanliness.
This is no doubt a level up for the capital city of Penang, considering the fact that it is Malaysia's second largest city.
Not only is it categorised as a clean city in the country, George Town is also one of the cleanest cities in the entire ASEAN region.
According to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, the state of Penang disposes an average of 1.2kg of waste on a daily basis, as reported by The Star.
The state also recorded the highest recycling rate in the country at 38 per cent. This is much higher than the national recycling rate of 21 per cent.
Good job, Penangites!
So besides being known as a UNESCO Heritage site, George Town can now boast of the city's continuous effort in recycling and cleanliness.
The state has also been initiating waste management in other areas in Penang. One of them is Seberang Prai, which currently has a total of 69 recycling centres.
This contributed to Seberang Prai's improvement in recycling, doubling the rate at 22 per cent in 2008 to 42 per cent in 2017.
In Taman Bagan Lalang, the recycling centre also acts as a resource centre to produce compost from organic waste, particularly from restaurants located nearby.
And these restaurants have reportedly collected up to 10 tonnes of food waste since last September! We know Penang is practically food haven in Malaysia, but that's a lot of food waste!
This should inspire the rest of Malaysia to reduce waste because there are nothing but benefits in doing so, namely to prevent pollution, save energy, sustain the environment for future generations and saving money.
Sumber Guess Which Malaysian City Is Now Officially Labelled A Clean City