Swap party to educate public on throwaway culture

WOMEN and men thronged the Sentral College Penang lobby in George Town, some looking at a variety of second-hand clothes and others at pre-loved books of different titles, languages and genres.

 

At first sight, they appeared to be shopping.

 

But the truth is, these people would not be paying a penny.

 

As a matter of fact, all the clothes, from office wear to casual wear, and the books were all free-of-charge. And they could take as many as they liked.

Some of the participants were choosing their desire clothes

This was a clothing and book swap party!

 

The rules were simple. Each participant was required to bring any clothes or books that they no longer wear or used.

Book enthusiasts also did not miss a chance to get their favourite books

In return, they got to have some wonderful garments or interesting books from other participants. Easy right? Just swap and you can have the item.

 

The well-organised three-day event, which ended yesterday (March 12), is the first of its kind by Sentral College Penang.

 

Its event adviser Dr Chong Yee Joan said the programme aimed to spread awareness and educate the public to become eco-conscious as an effort to reduce the environmental impact in the throw-away society nowadays.

Dr Chong Yee Joan

“The idea first came when my team members and I took a trip to Kuala Lumpur. We saw that concept applied there and surprisingly it was well received by the community.

 

“So I think, why not we start to apply it in Penang through our college and students’ involvement.

 

“After all, we rarely see such concept being tried out here. So, that’s when we decided to hold a clothing and book swap event,” Dr Chong said during the interview session with Buletin Mutiara yesterday (March 12).

 

According to Dr Chong, the people’s level of understanding and awareness about disposal methods need to be increased as well.

 

“As an example, usually, when we have some clothes that we don’t want, we will give it to our family members, friends or charity.

 

“But, there are some of us who choose to throw unwanted clothes or books into a bin or just burn them.

 

“This is the kind of mindset that we are trying to change through the swap party.

 

“It allows them to exchange their clothes and books, instead of buying new ones. This is because sometimes we buy a lot of clothes and books that we don’t really need it.

Some of the clothes that were put on display

“We want to encourage sustainability by extending the lifespan of clothing and books.

 

“We also hope to motivate students and the community to be an eco-conscious consumer and to trash our throwaway cultures in the society.

 

“This is exactly what we had in our mind when we decided to initiate this project,” said Dr Chong, who is also a senior lecturer at the college.

 

Dr Chong said the three-day event saw more than 200 participants.

 

“We have received a great response from the community considering this is our first time organising such a programme.

 

“Apart from men and women’s clothing, we also have baby clothes as well. But, as long as they are clean and in good condition, we accept them. This goes to pre-loved books too.

 

“We got comics, interior design books, dictionaries, magazines, novels and even college textbooks. So basically, all types of books are accepted.

 

“And if they got nothing to swap, worry nothing as they can donate any amount of money that they want to get their desired clothes or books.

 

“The money then will be used for any charity programmes.

 

“We’ve also planned to do another similar swap event at another place in Penang. We will not stop here and the efforts will be ongoing to educate the public,” she added.

 

Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud