By: Tarwin Murali, Suzaliza Mustafar and Nurulsaidah Abdul Rahim
Tanjong Malim, 18 November 2025 – First-year students from the Chemistry Department of the Faculty of Science and Mathematics (FSM) successfully organised the Service Learning Malaysia University for Society (SULAM) programme on 18 November 2025 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Campus, UPSI.
A total of 36 pupils and 2 teachers from Ma’ahad At-Taufiqiah Al-Diniah, Behrang Stesen participated in the programme as the targeted community. The theme for this year’s programme is ‘Kitchen Alchemist: Waste into Wonders’, aimed at nurturing students’ interest in STEM while promoting sustainable practices through hands-on science activities. This initiative supports SDG 2: Zero Hunger and SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production by focusing on wisely managing food consumption and reducing waste by turning it into something useful. Apart from that, this initiative also equipped students with essential digital skills to help them create and share educational content ethically on social media.
In the first session, the pupils were introduced to the basic laboratory rules and guidelines which emphasised safety awareness and proper handling of laboratory apparatus. This introductory briefing ensured that participants could conduct experiments confidently in a real laboratory environment.
The pupils were then introduced to an eco-friendly method to turn waste into fertiliser. The facilitators briefly explained on how to make fertilisers using kitchen wastes such as tea leaves, seashells, eggshells and rice water. These activities successfully educated the pupils on how everyday kitchen waste can be repurposed to support sustainable agricultural practices.
In the third session, students learned how to make soap from used cooking oil, an activity designed to raise awareness on waste reduction and encourage creative recycling of household wastes.
The final slot focused on ICT and digital creativity, where students were guided to use Canva and CapCut to design posters, edit videos, and create promotional content. This session empowered participants with the skills to communicate scientific ideas effectively and ethically in the digital space.
Through the Kitchen Alchemist: Waste Into Wonders programme, students gained valuable exposure to scientific thinking, environmental sustainability, and digital literacy. The initiative successfully cultivated creativity, ecological awareness, and technological confidence among young learners, supporting UPSI’s ongoing efforts to inspire future-ready, innovative students.