By Segun Adeyanju
At just 25, Malaysian eco-entrepreneur Yap Jing Zong is leading a grassroots revolution in waste management, proving that what many discard as trash can be transformed into treasure.
As founder of the social enterprise 4Leaf Nursery and the Trash to TrashURE project, Yap has dedicated himself to solving Malaysia’s food waste crisis through composting and community farming.
His mission: to nurture both soil and society by turning organic waste into nutrient-rich compost that sustains urban gardens and livelihoods.
“Grow the soil well, and the soil will take care of the plant,” Yap explained during a tour of a thriving community garden in Taman Setapak Permai, Kuala Lumpur, where 200kg of daily food waste is recycled into compost.
The garden now yields bananas, brinjals, okra, sugarcane, chillies, and even edible flowers, with produce sold back to the community.
Malaysia generates over 8.3 million metric tonnes of food waste annually, most of which ends up in landfills.
For Yap, this staggering statistic was a call to action. Starting as a university student in 2021, he collected food scraps at dawn on a tricycle, experimenting with composting before class. His early successes blossomed into the Trash to TrashURE initiative in 2023.
Today, Yap champions Urban Recycling Ecosystems (UREs), community-based hubs that combine recycling, composting, education, and market linkages.
His projects in Sepang, Sungai Long, and Setapak Permai have drawn in retirees, housewives, and youth, who now volunteer to sustain gardens that are both green and profitable.
“Food waste may be Malaysia’s biggest pollutant, but it’s also its biggest untapped resource,” Yap said. “By turning trash into treasure, we are cultivating not just gardens, but communities, opportunities, and hope for the future.”
Yap’s persistence has already earned him a TEDx platform and growing recognition from policymakers. His vision: a URE within every 3km of urban areas, making food recycling a way of life across Malaysia.
