THE WINNERS: (from left) Second Runner-Up, Chan Kian Hao, student from the School of Nursing; First Runner-Up, Andrew Morgan Tennant, Head of Department (Biotechnology), from the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FoAS); First Prize winner, Jess Ong, student f

GROUP PHOTO: Assoc Prof Dr Chan Hor Kuan (middle) joined by the winners and the CAREton Project @ UCSI University committee members in a group photo.

KUALA LUMPUR: CAREton Project @ UCSI University has recently held the Carton Collection Competition January 2015. The Prize-Giving Ceremony today marks the closing of the Competition. 

The Ceremony was officiated by Assoc Prof Dr Chan Hor Kuan, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences (FoAS). 

With a collection of 12kg, the first prize winner for the Competition was Jess Ong, a student from the Faculty. 

The first runner-up with a collection of 6.9 kg is Andrew Morgan Tennant, Head of Department (Biotechnology), from FoAS. The second runner-up is Chan Kian Hao, a student from the School of Nursing with a collection of 5.3 kg of used beverage cartons. 

The consolation prize winners were Lee Yuen Shin and Tan Wenn Fei, students the Centre for Pre-U Studies (A-level) with a collection of 2.5kg each. 

A total of 100kg of used beverage and food packages were collected during the Carton Collection Competition this year. This reflects a steady increase since the annual Competition was first supported by UCSI in September 2013. 

The inaugural competition collected 10kg of used beverage cartons, increasing to 20kg last year. 

The Competition is the flagship event under the CAREton Project @ UCSI University, which supports Tetra Pak’s collaboration with Nestlé to recycle used beverage cartons into roofing tiles. The tiles will then be used by non-governmental organisation – EPIC Homes – to construct homes for Orang Asli families in need. 

“The Competition is one of our efforts to help Tetra Pak build homes for Orang Asli families and encourage the practice of cartons recycling among the community,” explained Teoh Ai Ni, Assistant Project Manager of the CAREton Project @UCSI University. 

The Bachelor of Science (Hons) Food Science & Nutrition student added that the 100 kg collection was made possible by engaging the community and restaurants for their support. 

“We managed to get six nearby restaurants to give us all the used cartons that they have. Besides that, we also have recycle bins around campus made especially for the collection.” 

UCSI is the first university in Malaysia to be a CAREton Project Family member and the collaboration was initiated by Asst Prof Dr Crystale Lim Siew Ying, a lecturer of FOAS and the advisor of the CAREton Project @UCSI University. 

Fully supported by the Faculty and the University, the CAREton Project @ UCSI University is also now a Student Enrichment Programme (SEP) that UCSI University Trust Scholarship students can choose to volunteer with as part of their community engagement work. This ensures the Project has a steady stream of volunteers to ensure its continuity.