| Danial Norjidi |
A TEAM of five youth recently emerged as winners of the third Startup Weekend Brunei event for their pitch of a business making annual planners with recycled paper.
The team – T4R or Trash For Recycle – comprises Awangku Muhammad Hazim bin Pengiran Haji Mumin, 23; Dayangku Nurazierah binti Pengiran Haji Sahdan, 22; Siti Nur Haazimah binti Norfadilah, 21; Siti Nurulyaziidah binti Haji Abdul Aziz, 24; and Muhd Taqy Syazwan bin Haji Hassan, 24.
As part of the event, which concluded on July 23, T4R and eight other teams delivered pitches on their business ideas, each targetting one or more of the 17 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), after having worked over the three-day event to turn their ideas into a demo product.
“We’re trying to tackle an issue, and the issue is that we want to reduce carbon footprint, and we need a creative solution that is sustainable and would work. We came up with a recyclable planner that makes use of paper waste,” said Muhd Taqy Syazwan.
It was shared that each team member has a key role in areas such as marketing and design, and he explained that team leader Awangku Muhammad Hazim was the ‘mastermind’ behind the idea, as he managed to make the recycled paper at his own home using kitchen appliances.
Awangku Muhammad Hazim shared that the idea came about after he went to a Rohingya refugee camp with a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) Hand4HandBN last month.
“I’ve been to the Rohingya refugee camp, and I actually saw them writing on the sand and soil, just to learn. When I was leaving the camp, I said to myself that I want to do more to help them. So I used this opportunity to actually help me to start, because I need help to do it, not just me alone.
“I used the issues in Brunei to help them,” he said, noting that he found 18 per cent of waste in Brunei is paper waste. He learnt how to recycle paper from a friend who studied in Indonesia. “So when I learnt it, I did it myself, and I can see that it can help the Rohingya refugees.”
“For me, I use the problem in Brunei as a solution for them. It’s not only helping Brunei but helping other countries as well,” he said. “We plan to not only help Rohingya refugees but also other refugees, and people who do not have access to proper education. Hopefully this will kick off soon.”
On what is next for T4R, he said, “For me, actually, my aim is to start it to help the children.” Elaborating further on his drive, Awangku Muhammad Hazim said, “When we were there, you see the kids, but you might not see them again tomorrow.”
He also noted that they had never actually seen paper before. “When they were given paper to draw something, what they drew were their houses and their family.”
He shared that he also learnt from speaking with some counsellors that providing the children with something to draw can help with their trauma. “I would like to help them more.”
During the final pitches and prize presentation phase of the Startup Weekend Brunei event, T4R brought with them samples of recycled paper, some of which were made out of the remains of a cardboard box, and some from old university study notes.
On the choice of annual planners as a product, he said, “When someone purchase a planner, one notebook will be given to the children who do not have access to proper education.”
The team explained that the planners will contain the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and information about local NGOs as well as where they can get started on contributing to these goals and be more proactive in helping to achieve them.
Concluding, Muhd Taqy Syazwan said, “I would like to thank Startup Weekend Brunei for providing us the platform to interact, communicate and build a network with everyone here, and be able to build this idea into a reality in the future.”