SK Sri Skudai’s food composting project received a grant last year.
COMMUNITY groups in Iskandar Puteri could receive up to RM30,000 each as incentives to run environmentally-friendly and green programmes this year.
The Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) has once again opened its Low-Carbon Community Grant programme for the third year running, said its town planning officer Safwan Shaari.
“This time round, we are giving priority to programmes related to sustainable waste management, agriculture and food security as well as environment conservation and preservation.
“We have also introduced a new pillar – green and smart infrastructure – to encourage more participation in making Iskandar Puteri a smart city.
“We are happy to announce that the maximum grant amount has also been increased to RM30,000 compared to last year where each recipient was given allocations of up to RM20,000,” he told StarMetro.
Safwan said the programmes should focus on low-carbon activities, have educational elements and at the same time, provide opportunities for the community to come together and improve the people’s quality of life.
Another objective of the grant programme is to recognise the efforts of people who are doing their part for the environment, especially those who come up with creative, innovative and research-driven initiatives to bring down carbon emissions, he said.
The grant programme, initiated in 2021, was awarded to 14 community groups that year with a total value of RM168,000.
Last year, a total of RM440,000 was given out to fund 31 projects that were chosen from a total of 121 proposals submitted.
Safwan added that among last year’s recipients was SMK Kangkar Pulai, which collected 693.8kg of used cooking oil and repurposed it into 300 litres of dishwashing liquid.
Another recipient was the Food Waste Barrel programme in Taman Nesa and Taman Universiti, where residents grew vegetables out of a plastic barrel that also acted as a food waste compost bin to fertilise the produce.
“From the food waste barrel initiative, about 6,000kg of food waste was saved and about 720kg of different types of vegetables were produced to provide food security and side income for the participants, mostly from the B40 category,” said Safwan.
“Apart from that, we also funded the installation of solar panels at a mosque in Kampung Melayu Lima Kedai, which has helped them save about RM200 in their monthly electricity bill.
“Groups such as residents’ committees, non-governmental organisations, government agencies, places of worship, schools and higher education institutions are encouraged to submit their proposals online for the grant by 5pm on May 2,” he said.
He added that the programme was organised by MBIP with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.
Those interested to apply for the grant can visit https://bit.ly/geranIPRK
