- 9 months ago
From kitchen waste to world recognition, young Malaysian inventors behind UNBLOK, a sustainable under-sink filter made from palm oil waste, share their journey as the Top 20 finalists of the James Dyson Award 2025 and their hopes for a greener, innovation-driven future.
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00:00Hello and welcome to It's About Youth. I'm your host, Fahna Sheh, and today I'm joined by two young innovators.
00:13Now, Natalie Tham and Ng Wenkai from Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation APU.
00:20They are the top 20 global finalists in the 20th James Dyson Award,
00:25an international design competition that celebrates innovative problem solving.
00:30Their invention, Unblock, uses biodegradable palm oil waste to build an under-the-sink filter
00:37that prevents fats, oils and grease from clogging pipes.
00:42Super impressive. I'm going to let them take on this question first.
00:46Thank you so much for joining us.
00:48Right, let's talk about your invention here.
00:50Can you tell us briefly what Unblock is and what first inspired your team
00:55to turn something like kitchen or palm oil waste into sustainable drain filter?
01:00Yes, so Unblock is an adaptive filter system that fits under the sinks.
01:05It captures fat, oil and grease and what we call it FOG.
01:09And it's a simple design. It's sustainable and completely user-friendly.
01:15It's without any using electricity or chemical required.
01:23And the inspiration behind our blog was our love of Malaysian home-cooked cuisines like fried chicken, curry.
01:34Basically everything that uses oil.
01:36Exactly, yeah, right.
01:38So, but after we enjoy those meals, right, we realized that those FOG wash off from our plates into the drains
01:49and it could cause a big problems like clogging the pipes.
01:54And the worst scenario was causing our water waste sewage systems will become huge pollutants, yeah.
02:04Right. I guess Natalie, I'm going to let you take this question.
02:08You know, I understand Kai has explained a few of the reasons and inspiration behind this.
02:15So, tell me a little bit about the invention itself.
02:17So, what specific problem does Unblock aim to solve and how does the design tackle the issue of clogging the drains?
02:25If you don't mind showing the invention itself, I think we'll be happy to know more.
02:30Sure. So, basically, so what Kai mentioned just now, we want to tackle the F.O.G.
02:40Let me open this up.
02:44So, basically what we did is we fill in the core filter is made out of natural pump fiber.
02:49Right.
02:49So, we have another layer of mesh and then the perforated holes right here.
02:55So, what it does is this is where the filters happen.
03:01So, when the water, your grease, F.O.G., everything comes in,
03:05the pump fiber will soak all of the grease and it will pull at the bottom of the core.
03:11And this is where clean water comes out and it flows through the pipe.
03:15Right. I mean, explain to me a little bit about the sustainability aspect of this.
03:19Is this thing meaning we have to replace it every now and then when it's clogged up or...
03:23Because I cook, so I would love to have this kind of invention at home.
03:26Okay. So, to answer that question, we estimated for heavy cooking probably every two to three weeks of changing.
03:35So, we are building this whole business model system where when it's full,
03:41you just have to take it up the core and bring it to recycling and the rest of the process, we will take care of it.
03:47Yeah. All right. Okay. I mean, that's pretty impressive for, you know, to think about, you know, this kind of thing we probably,
03:55you know, Malaysian users or Malaysian cooks or chefs or, you know, homewives at home are cooking every day
04:01and they don't really realise when they pour the oil down the drain or they pour, you know, whatever way stays down the drain.
04:07And it's kind of like a thing that is overlooked when it comes to all this and the fact that you guys have come out with this invention
04:14that looked into how we can prevent a small problem that could get big in the future, right?
04:20Correct. Right. Okay. So, talk to me a little bit about the sustainability aspect of it.
04:26You guys mentioned a little bit on how the invention works, but how do you integrate environmental responsibility
04:32into your design process and what impact do you hope it achieves in the long run, especially, you know,
04:38now we're talking about circular economy, we're talking about, you know, going green. Anyone can take this.
04:43So, first of all, our whole filter core is already made out of 100% natural palm fibre. So, it's an abundant by-product
04:53from the palm oil industry. Malaysia is known as the second largest palm oil industry, essentially.
04:58So, normally what they do now is it's either set to landfills or they just get burned. So, instead of doing that,
05:07we try to include local raw material that are sustainable and try to make it work with our product.
05:16Yes. And I believe Kai have something on circular loop.
05:19Yeah. And also the closed circular loops is part of our essential core of our block.
05:26So, after the filter core is full, right, the traps of the oil, the fats, oil and grease, right,
05:32can be trapped, can be refined into the biofuel and the fibre itself can be turned into the biofuel pellets
05:41or become, you can turn into like fertilizer for your home plants as well.
05:49And we are not just stop the pollutions and we are creating a new wearable resources from the agricultural waste
05:57for the palm oil industry. Yeah.
06:02Right. I mean, to me, it solves a problem that a lot of us don't think of on the daily
06:09and to have something as simple, not simple per se, but to have a design that is simple yet effective
06:16is very admirable. So, I congratulate you two for coming out with this idea.
06:21And I think the James Dyson Award also congratulate you both for being in the top 20 finalists.
06:27How does it feel to be among the winners? I understand you guys are the only team from Malaysia
06:32to make it in the top 20 list?
06:34Yes, correct.
06:35That's amazing. So, tell me a little bit about that.
06:38Yeah. It was a really, really honour and proud to be able to come this far.
06:47First, we realised we are on the top, we are on the Malaysian national winners.
06:54Yes.
06:55And it was like a huge surprise. Then we find out ourselves in like top 20 was like surreal experience.
07:01It's such a big honour and a big way of, it's such a big moment for our teams and also for representing Malaysia to the global stage. Yes.
07:27Definitely. What about you, Natalie? When you found out that you made it to top 20?
07:32At first, I was telling them I need to see like the proper email. I'm like I need confirmation.
07:39Yeah, basically I felt the same as them. We couldn't believe that at first.
07:43Yeah, it was so emotional at that time. Yeah.
07:45What makes you decide to join competitions such as this? Is it, you know, your passion for innovation or is it a push from your universities or is it something that you have an idea and you feel that you need to take it centre stage?
08:00Um, so essentially our university have this James Dyson hackathon every single year. So this is where we get exposure on James Dyson Award essentially. So, um, so we actually know each other for quite a while and we were like, let's, let's try, let's try James Dyson Award this year. And yeah, we started brainstorming. We started our whole design thinking iterations.
08:27And yeah, this is where it got us.
08:31Right. I think for those at home, I think James Dyson is an international competition that looks at different, different innovation, problem solving innovation. I think the focus, um, from what I understand is all about sustainability. It's all about creating solutions for everyday problems.
08:48And, um, these young innovators right here made it, um, out of many, many innovators that joined, um, but they are among the top 20 in the finalists. So very, very proud moment for Malaysia, I feel. Um, right. Uh, let's talk about some of the challenges that you guys face when dealing with, you know, create, going into the competition, creating the design itself.
09:12Um, what has been the biggest challenges in turning, you know, your design or your idea into reality. Um, we could talk about resources or testing or getting others, uh, to believe in your concept, for example.
09:25So the most issue we face is actually the, um, the material itself. We actually like tackle, we explore a lot of like material from agriculture waste because agriculture waste is like most abundance in Malaysia, especially for palm oil.
09:41And then we, we, we got tests like sugar cans and so on to see which have the most effective effectiveness of capturing the FOG.
09:50Then the next challenge is the design. How are we going to use this agriculture waste, turn into a filters and into a applicable products that can, you know, put in under the sinks and, you know, that makes both of it works.
10:07The filter itself and the products, the products, the products, the products, right. Not only the efficiency of how the water flow, but also how the user experience on, you know, how to maintain these things, how to, um, how to be able to replace a bird, the core and so on. Yeah.
10:26Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of these things, I mean, when it comes to, you know, uh, zero waste systems or circular economy systems, a lot of it, uh, I think, um, dampens the experience of people to get into it is because it's not user friendly.
10:43So people tend to go for something that is less expensive or something that is more user friendly because it's a hassle to do a lot of things that you mentioned just now.
10:53So I understand, I mean, uh, I'm pretty sure a lot of thought process that goes into how to make this item, um, you know, fit into your kitchen sink and make it easy for people to use on the daily to replace the filters.
11:06So, so I think it's good that, you know, there's that thought process that goes into this and not just creating something that is sustainable.
11:15Um, what about you, Natalie? Do you face any challenges when you are coming up with this project?
11:20Oh, we do. Okay. So, um, one of the biggest challenge, I feel like it's bridging between our vision and with, um, right now the traditional solutions out there.
11:35So, um, this conflict between traditional mindsets and the new ways of thinking nowadays.
11:40Right. So, um, that's what we try, that's what we're trying to convince people that we can do both at the same time.
11:47Yeah. Of course, on funding and excess of exposure, I feel like, um, that gave us the opportunity to go further beyond of our critical thinking and to have more creative ways to tackle the problem.
12:04Right. And that mindset change is very important, I feel. And it starts with, you know, young people like you guys highlighting this, this kind of invention and, you know, for, you know, boomers and millennials, I guess, to look into this and say, hey, maybe we can change our ways and maybe we can look into something that is a bit more long lasting and a bit more sustainable.
12:23Yes.
12:24We want to talk about the bigger landscape when it comes to innovation and, um, inventors such as yourself, but we'll go for a quick break first.
12:30Hello and welcome back to It's About You. Today, I'm joined by two young innovators, uh, Natalie and Kai. They invented Unblock, uh, basically to, uh, help with the drainage issue.
12:46When it comes to our sinks, you know, all the clogs and the oils that goes into our sink. And in the first part of the show, uh, they managed to show the product itself and explain how it works.
12:53And, um, and the sustainability aspect aspect of it. And they are the top 20 Global Finalists for the James Dyson Award. So, their Only Malaysian in that list, by the way. So, that's very, very impressive.
13:06they managed to show the product itself and explain how it works and and the
13:12sustainability aspect of it and they are the top 20 global finalists for the
13:17James Dyson Awards so the and they're the only Malaysian in that list by the
13:20way so that's very very impressive and their invention is something that I
13:25think all of us can use in our households right so we talked about a
13:30little bit about invention we talked a little bit about James Dyson Award now
13:33I want to talk a little bit about the bigger picture here especially when it
13:36comes to you know young innovators like yourself right so from your experience
13:42how has the experience been when it comes to doing this kind of project in
13:47terms of support do you guys get a lot of need government support or industry
13:52support or university support when it comes to you know young people
13:58innovating or developing green technologies such as yourself so yeah we
14:03believe we can play they can play a huge roles by offerings more grants and
14:08innovations that's that helps to then turn their ideas and their prototypes into a
14:15real-world solving problem product products and it would be also great to
14:20see more industrial partners with universities which words expose students to
14:26practical real-world design challenge and one of the experience we have in
14:32hackathons is like giving one of the best opportunity to participants so I think it
14:40should be more implement on that so that's a more young inventor can be able to
14:46participate in these opportunities and of course expanding the mentorships
14:52especially in those like academic institutions networking and celebrates
15:00innovation success like James Dyson's what we do here and it's also very
15:04important to spark young people's make that idea tangible outcomes yeah can I ask
15:10personally from your experience what has helped the most when it comes to
15:15realizing your idea into reality in terms of you know the support that you get what has
15:21helped move the needle for us first of all our mentor actually played a big role in
15:29this whole process he was I can say he's really experienced in this field so he
15:37actually gives us a lot of insight a lot of suggestions and we actually work
15:43closely together and this is where yeah most of our support in this success of
15:49this product right so mentorship is the key issue that you mentioned just now when it
15:55comes to you know a lot of young students wanting because I'm pretty sure a lot of
15:59young people have great great ideas but they just don't know where to start right
16:03they don't know what's the first step or how do we move forward so having the
16:08kind of mentorship like both of you did would probably help in terms of just to get the
16:12ball rolling right okay that's that's very fair so um when we talk about you know the innovation
16:19ecosystem here in Malaysia do you think it's moving in the right direction or what would
16:24you like to see change to help you know more young people like yourself to come up with ideas like
16:30um so honestly I would say it's you have to start with curiosity so those curiosity right is like we
16:42like for us we want to see how far our ideas goes and to share our stories behind why we do it in the
16:50first place and we believe that idea could make difference that solve the real world problems so the
16:57James Dyson stood out for us is um because it was it's more than just a competition right and it's
17:05the moment that celebrates creative problem solvings that's really resonate with us right and like
17:13unblocked it was a perfect fit because it's practical human center solutions and everyday problems that
17:19is orphans overlooks yeah right um Natalie what about you when we talk about the
17:27innovation ecosystem here in Malaysia what do you think are some missed opportunity that probably
17:34either young people or other innovators or government or universities can help fill in what do you think
17:44say not not particularly not just support but is it more competition is it more exposure is it more
17:53training is it more investment into stem what do you think for me okay um besides resource I feel like
18:05what's important is you have to start with mindset you don't need really fancy technologies or facilities to
18:15make it work um you just need to start and you will see what works what doesn't and also uh right now in
18:23product design I feel like sustainability should be something that is implemented um Malaysia has been
18:29quite um active uh in this topic nowadays um not even just the product itself I feel like the whole
18:39manufacturing process should be considered uh in sustainability considering it's a global crisis as
18:46well on um the environmental impact these days yes right I mean I think that draws into my next question
18:53actually uh beyond you know your own project here how do you hope innovations like unblock can inspire a
19:00wider movement among Malaysians or young people um with regards to you know thinking a bit more about
19:07sustainability um and doing it creatively um maybe Natalie can draw on from what you said just now um
19:16first of all I feel like you have to start with empathy so when you have empathy then you will understand
19:23the real problem and that is where you design with intention um that is where you'll find clarity with
19:30your momentum and um I believe um with the proper approach and perspective uh you'll step by step you'll reach
19:43where you're supposed to be yeah I like that I mean um it's easy to think that you know it's a small
19:50problem but you don't know that probably a lot of households in in PPR or a lot of house B40 households
19:58might need this kind of invention um to probably not call the plumbers so much or probably you know
20:04save their money else to do to invest elsewhere and not look at you know drainage or oil um or clogged
20:12pipe as a problem because they have this kind of invention so yeah starting with empty that's a very
20:17good answer so right um Kai uh you've gained international recognition through the James Dyson award with this
20:25invention so what's next for unblock do you plan to scale it up or commercialize or expand or refine it
20:34um what what's what's in the pipeline definitely next step would uh to make our products more
20:42feasible like because currently is uh prototypes so we need to replace the actual materials like make it
20:49more uh make it more uh make it more durable uh make it more uh make it more durable and like perform rate
20:53perform rate the sheets we can turn into like standard steel and so on they can be able to last longer
21:00and of course for commercialize wise we would like to promote like we need the
21:09industrials to work in the ecosystem with us like collecting points you know like so that's able to
21:16to make this secure loops um works yeah so you can add on so um the whole idea that we want to see
21:26unblock next is um we hope that through unblock we can encourage and raise awareness on sustainable waste
21:34management in your homes through our design yes right right i mean and and it's it's important as a first
21:42step i think for young innovators to spearhead this kind of um thinking and creativity um so that you
21:50know the future generation can take this on and and look into this kind of problems if with you know
21:56another lens as opposed to what we already have right now um you know you mentioned sustainability being
22:02called to what we're discussing now but i think you know the younger generation uh really spearheading some
22:07of the movements when it comes to you know green economy sustainability you know circular economy
22:13i feel that um young people are really doing the most here when it comes to all this so i applaud you
22:19too for for your efforts right um we're running out of time so i'm only left with one last question
22:25um that is advice you give to other young malaysians who want to make a difference through innovation
22:32such as yourself um what would that be if they don't know where to start where to go um take it away
22:40i would definitely say three keywords the key three takeaways so first you have to start small
22:48stay curious and just begin okay this is three of the words so our entire journey start with
22:55something that is so simple and as solving just the clock itself like uh under the kitchen sinks
23:03sometimes the greatest ideas is just hidden in the problems that might get overlooked oftenly
23:11and always stay curious we saw one problems the clock of our pipes then and another problem is the
23:19agricultural waste which is palm oil industry and just ask what if the question what if what if one could
23:29solve another problems so that is where we come up with the quotes for that using problem to solve the
23:37problems and asking a simple questions that is a key so of course the last thing was i would say is just
23:45begin you know honestly we just you know try everything else like try every try and error feel a lot of times
23:53but we you know it's the resilience we just keep going and to be and don't be afraid if doesn't work
24:01perfectly at the first times because i was in you know and every try and error always definitely teach you
24:11something new and it's part of the process you have to be embrace that and it's always going through the
24:19journey you have to just you know stay focused on the track just be mindful like have to believe
24:28that track is correct it's just part of the journey and so just start it and see what it takes you
24:34definitely yeah so just do it learn from your mistakes as well as a small ripple can make a big
24:41wave yes correct i think let's end it with you what's your advice for young malaysians who would
24:46like to be innovators today i feel like kai covered everything quite well maybe we can do one briefly
24:53if you have one advice um maybe don't okay um we probably tend to overthink uh you do more thinking
25:02rather than doing i feel like you can just start and along the way you can find out what works and
25:09what doesn't and that's where um one thing also important share your ideas someone might give you
25:19useful ideas some might give you um ideas that could actually implement it so i feel like um get a team
25:30that's like a really important support system and to have um idea building on idea yes all right so
25:38so seek for feedbacks and discussions um and also um like you said just now i think the key idea key
25:45message here is just just do it just start yeah just do it you know you might not think that
25:51you know a small idea can turn into anything but if you don't start you know you'll never know right and
25:55it's okay to fail um as long as you know you learn from your mistakes definitely some good advice
26:01for young innovators out there who would want um to to who have ideas and want to make it into a reality
26:09who who wants to solve problems and who wants to think creatively but don't know where to start so
26:15definitely um good advice from the both of you and um i congratulate both of you again for being the top
26:2220 finalists for such a prestigious award um with your invention unblocked that i hope one day will
26:28i will see it in everyone's under sync so including myself so yeah thank you so much for joining me
26:35thank you so much for being on the show that's all the time we have thank you so much for those at
26:40home i'm fine ashay thank you for watching
26:52so
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