For four days, from 15 to 18 April 2025, a Mini Free Market was held as part of the FRENSTER event, one of the largest programs organized by students of Universiti Malaya (UM).
As a sustainable initiative aimed at promoting recycling and reusing practices among the campus community, this program sought to collect pre-loved items in good condition for donation to those in need. The items gathered from the UM community were distributed during the FRENSTER event at Kolej Kediaman Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah (KK12).
Through support from UMSDC and the UM Zero Waste Campaign, the initiative utilized the UM ZWC Gallery and Rumah No. 2 as collection points for four days leading up to the Free Market. We also worked closely with the management of the 12th Residential College and the student organizers of FRENSTER, who played a crucial role in allocating the space for the Mini Free Market and promoting the initiative to ensure its success.
In total, at least 165.545 kg of items were collected and donated (based on the items we managed to weigh before distribution). Notably, 59.1 kg of the collected items consisted of women's items, such as clothing, shoes, and accessories. This is significant as women’s fashion often aligns with fast fashion trends, which contribute to the overproduction of clothing and an increase in textile waste. Programs like the Mini Free Market help extend the lifespan of these items and reduce their environmental impact.
Books were another popular category among the donations, with 45.4 kg of books collected and given away.
We are thrilled to see these items find new homes, ensuring they are reused and cherished instead of ending up in the landfill. This underscores the importance of freecycling— a practice that not only reduces waste but also fosters a sense of community by encouraging people to share and reuse resources. Freecycling is a critical step toward creating a circular economy, where items are kept in use for as long as possible, ultimately minimizing environmental degradation and conserving resources.
A special thank you goes out to the members of the UM community who generously donated items to this initiative. We are also deeply grateful to the volunteers and UMSDC staff, whose dedication and hard work ensured the success of this program. Their efforts in sorting through the donations and transforming them into a free and welcoming 'market' made it possible for attendees to comfortably take the items they needed.
For more pictures, click HERE.
