1,500 in clean-up campaign
Kota Kinabalu: More than six tonnes of rubbish were collected by some 1,500 volunteers during the 2018 World Clean-up Day event held in 16 locations in the State, on Saturday.
Trash Hero Borneo is among the 62 chapters in 11 countries across the world that took part in the clean-up programme, an initiative by the Trash Hero World administration based in Switzerland.
Borneo Organising Chairperson Ainie Jamin said the non-governmental organisation is involved in several activities aside from beach-cleaning activities like sustainable community service projects.
Ainie said the programme was carried out in several locations in Sabah which was attended by 1,537 heroes (volunteers) that started their activity from 3pm to 6pm.
"The number of participants across Sabah was not what we (Trash Hero Borneo) expected. We were only expecting about 800 volunteers.
"They comprised adults, youth and children. I am really grateful and amazed with the efforts as well as passion of Sabahans who joined the programme," she told Daily Express.
She said the location involved in Kota Kinabalu were Teluk Likas Taman Awam phases 1 and 2, Tanjung Aru Beach 1, Pantai OBS Kinarut, Bukit Tirig Inanam, Bukit Kopungit Sembulan, Tuaran, Bukit Padang and Pantai Grongon Putatan.
Other areas that were also included in their cleaning list were Pulau Berhala of Sandakan, Pulau Mabul and Kampung Air Hujung in Semporna, Madai Cave Kunak, Bukit Tunggul in Kota Belud as well as Tamu Apin-Apin in Keningau.
The programme is organised annually by the Trash Hero World but this is the first time Sabah had been part of a global clean-up activity, she added.
Ainie said the programme is not only aimed to do group clean-up activity but also aimed to educated people, not just in Sabah but in the world of "disposing refuse the proper way".
"We do not want to keep doing clean up and pick up trash for the next 50 years. Trash Hero Borneo hopes that one day we will never use the words 'clean up' anymore.
"That is the day our community will be part of the 'No More Littering and Able to Reduce Their Own Trash'," she said.
When asked what their next step was with the garbage collected, she said the waste will not be disposed immediately but rubbish separation will be carried out to determine the re-usable ones from ones that are not.
"We don't just do clean-ups but also work in re-using waste materials to produce new items such as eco-bricks.
"This is among the initiatives that we have been doing in educating the young minds along with the public's on reusing wastes," she added. - Jeremy S Zabala
Source: Daily Express
