Let's clean up Malaysia this September

Volunteers collected multiple bags of trash at Teluk Senangin, Perak, during World Cleanup Day 2018. Photos: World Cleanup Day Malaysia

From ploggers to senior citizens, there have been many stories of people doing their part to pick up rubbish from places like parks or their neighbourhood.

Come Sept 19 – World Cleanup Day (WCD) – there will be a concerted effort in Malaysia, and around the globe, to make the world a cleaner place. Last year, 180 countries and over 20 million people participated in various activities that were organised in their respective countries.

WCD is the largest single peace-orientated civic-waste action in history, aimed at raising awareness of the scale of global mismanaged waste crisis threatening the environment and the lives of millions of people and living beings.

WCD is organised by the Let’s Do It World network (LDIW), an international NGO that tackles environmental challenges related to global mismanaged solid waste problems.

This year, Malaysia will join in the action while keeping to local guidelines when organising clean-ups, taking into consideration every security measure to protect its participants due to Covid-19.

Teh, WCD Malaysia and Let’s Do It World’s (LDIW) country leader, says the organisers aim to see 5% of the Malaysian population be involved in WCD by 2030.

“The pandemic made it clear to the general public that now, more than ever, we need to focus on our environment and keep it clean, safe, healthy and sustainable, ” said Henry Teh, WCD Malaysia and LDIW's country leader.

“We need to get our act together and work in cooperation to solve the many issues of the world, including waste.”

Teh added that there is a strong will from the public to start social change and WCD offers an occasion to initiate community engagement and begin the wave of change.

“WCD harnesses the power of the people to achieve incredible joint effort to ‘housekeep’ globally. It’s all about willingness, openness, cooperation and collaboration; building bridges between disparate communities at all levels – from citizens to businesses to governments.

“While we want to do this quickly, we would also want to do this properly and effectively.”

The organisers emphasise that with the risk of virus-contaminated surfaces, special care must be put into hygiene and safety measures in clean-up activities.

Possible second waves of the Covid-19 pandemic require organisers to be flexible in changing plans and forming clean-ups that respect necessary safety measures: hygiene procedures, allowing enough distance between participants, safe litter-picking, and proper disposal of collected waste.

“If every individual played their part in disposing of garbage at a designated community rubbish bin, the local authorities would shrink waste management costs of running dump trucks and labour force by about 80%.

“The spirit of volunteerism in cleaning up the environment among Malaysians has to be inculcated in our daily lifestyle.”

Teh added that in Indonesia last year, WCD country leader Agustina Iskandar managed to gather 9.5 million volunteers on World Cleanup Day.

Even small kids led by example during World Cleanup Day 2018.

“Our hope for Malaysia is to have thousands of people nationwide volunteer to clean up the entire country on Sept 19, ” said Teh, adding that the organisers aim to see 5% of the population in Malaysia be involved in WCD by 2030.

“Anyone can pick up trash. In 2018, a 101-year old man volunteered to do so in Curacao. In Estonia, a group of mothers carrying babies went out to clean. In Scotland, an association working with dogs came out with their four-legged friends.

“Daycare centres, schools, companies and government officials, the old, young, rich and poor, everyone can contribute. WCD is a movement relevant to everyone but it has become so much more than the mere act of picking up trash, ” said Teh.

The long-term goal is to create collaborations and awareness to move towards zero waste and circular economy models.

“Our ability and willingness to reuse, recycle and reduce materials is imperative for long-term sustainability. This cannot be achieved overnight. It will require the work of volunteers to increase awareness and change destructive patterns of behaviour over a period of time, ” said Teh.

For more information, visit: worldcleanupday.org.