Volunteers cleaning up plastic waste and other debris along Pulau Selakan’s shoreline.
Once burdened by mounting rubbish and no formal waste management system, Pulau Selakan now has a long-awaited solution, thanks to a community-led programme.
Implemented through a grassroots model by non-governmental organisation Reef Check Malaysia (RCM), it is the latest in a series of successful island-based waste management systems in the area.
Located about 10km from Semporna town on Sabah’s mainland, Pulau Selakan is home to an estimated 380 residents who lacked rubbish collection facilities for decades.
Many of the islanders previously had to rely on informal or unsanitary waste disposal methods.
With no municipal collection service and limited transport access, rubbish often ended up in the sea or along shorelines.
“People often blame the community for the rubbish build-up but they forget how isolated these islands are.
“It is not that they do not care. They just do not have the system we have in towns,” said RCM Semporna community coordinator Adzmin Fatta.
Launched in 2024, the Selakan waste programme empowers local households to take charge of their own rubbish collection and sorting.
Through awareness workshops, regular pick-ups and a village cleanliness committee, waste is now gathered, sorted, and transported to the mainland.
Residents loading sorted waste onto boats for transfer to the mainland.
The model builds on earlier successes in other communities on islands such as Mabul and Larapan off the Semporna coast, and Mantanani north of Kota Belud town.
These waste management systems were adapted to suit the areas’ unique geography.
“These aren’t flashy projects — they rely on long-term trust.
“You do not need to be perfect. You just need to care and be consistent. That’s how change starts,” said Adzmin.
In Selakan, the initiative has shown promising results.
Waste no longer accumulates in the village or along the beach, and community members — including youth — are actively involved in maintaining cleanliness as well as educating one another.
Adzmin emphasised that these efforts aren’t just about hygiene but also protecting Sabah’s rich marine biodiversity.
“The cost of biodiversity loss is far greater than the cost of basic waste systems,” he said.
Previously, on Pulau Mantanani, similar programmes kept more than 145,000kg of waste out of the ocean between 2018 and 2022.
On Pulau Mabul, over 70,000kg of waste was removed within six months of the setting up of a village-led cleanliness committee.
The programme is expected to expand to additional villages in Semporna as well as neighbouring districts, with a focus on training local youth to take over operations and lead future clean-up efforts.
