KUALA LUMPUR: The high level of food waste and large allocation for solid waste management each year has made the government launch a “Ramadan Without Waste” campaign this year.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof said the amount of food waste in the country was a major concern to the extent that the government had to allocate over RM2bil just for solid waste management in 2017.

“According to the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute’s report, Malaysians are dumping 15,000 tonnes of food per day, with 3,000 tonnes of it being good enough not to be discarded in the first place.

“Worse still, the amount of food waste tends to increase by 15% to 20% during Ramadan. I call on everyone to change their attitude and think 10 times before buying food at Ramadan bazaars this year so as not to contribute to an excessive amount of food wastage which may also affect the environment,” he told reporters after launching the campaign here yesterday.

Also present were Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Ibni Raja Ahmad Baharuddin Shah, Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) director-general Datuk Mohamad Nordin Ibrahim and Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia director-general Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Baharuddin.

Jakim with the cooperation of, among others, the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry is leading the campaign.

At the event, the minister also presented RM8.6mil to 724 mosque and surau committees in the Federal Territories and letters of appointment to 960 tithe collectors who would operate from 74 tithe collection centres. — Bernama