Did you know that improper pharmaceutical waste disposal can affect the environment detrimentally? This year’s Green Pharmacy themed “Greener Future, A Collective Responsibility” consisted of activities ranging from poster competition, video competition, crossword puzzle, quiz as well as a charity recycling and charity sale and webinars to commemorate the event’s aims. The activities held from the 22nd of March 2022 until the 15th of April 2022 were fun and challenging while also being informative at the same time.
On the morning of the 23rd of April 2022, a Green Pharmacy talk and closing ceremony were held online via Microsoft Teams. The event kick-started with a speech from Muhammad Hilman Bin Ghazali, Director of Green Pharmacy 2022 where he expresses his wishes that the program has managed to raise awareness on the importance of taking care of the environment. After that, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Makmor Bakry, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy UKM officiated the closing ceremony and highlighted the importance of this program for students and the public. The first webinar was given by Puan Syuhada Binti Norman where she shares about the effects of improper disposal and how to dispose unused medicines safely. At the end of her talk, participants could answer a quiz where they stood a chance to win a tote bag from World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The second webinar on the ‘Management of Pharmaceutical Waste in Pharmaceutical Industry’ was given by Encik Megat Nazmi Aizuddin Bin Megat Khas where he explains in detail about the concept and methods of pharmaceutical disposal as well as the consequences to the environment and human health if improper pharmaceutical waste disposal practices were continued. Both webinars ended with a fruitful Q&A session. The webinars serve as an eye-opener as well as boost the knowledge and awareness of participants about how much impact our actions can have on the environment.
Finally, the nerve-wrecking moment for the participants came where the winners for the activities held throughout the program was announced. From the charity sale, a total of RM124.31 was raised from the sale of eco-friendly mask holders, bamboo cutleries and metal straws where the money raised will be donated to WWF. Later, a lucky draw session was carried out where three lucky winners won RM15 e-wallet vouchers. The program ended with a photography session capturing the satisfied smiles of the organisers, guest speakers and participants. All in all, the program has served its aims, creating and raising awareness as well as providing ways for the public to dispose of their pharmaceutical wastes efficiently to sustain a clean and safe environment for the future generation.
Written by: Alis Ellyssa Binti Abdul Jamil
