AN INITIATIVE to clean up Malaysia’s coastlines and marine ecosystems is seeing encouraging signs of reduced waste volumes.
Nestle Malaysia’s Coastal and Underwater Clean-Up programme, now in its seventh year, aims to empower communities to take an active role in protecting their environment over the long term.
Drawing on observations from cleanup sites over multiple years, the initiative has seen encouraging signs of reduced waste volumes at several locations, suggesting greater awareness and more responsible waste disposal practices among local communities, Nestle Malaysia said in a media release.
Its chief executive officer Juan Aranols said, “We are placing greater emphasis on education and community engagement, because lasting change happens when people are empowered to become active stewards of the environments they depend on.”
Impact Revolution Enterprise co-founder and cleanup programme director Mohd Faisal Abdur Rani said, “At several locations where cleanups have been conducted consistently, we have observed lower volumes of waste collected during comparable periods.
“While factors such as tides, seasons and visitor activity can influence the amount of waste present, this is an encouraging sign that awareness and responsible waste disposal behaviours may be improving.
“It also reinforces the importance of sustained engagement, education and stronger community ownership of coastal environments.”
The initiative brings together employee volunteers, communities and partners nationwide to drive lasting impact through activities ranging from recovering ghost nets and marine debris to protecting coral reefs and sharing environmental education.
This year’s programme placed greater emphasis on community education and stewardship.
At Pantai Kelanang in Selangor, environmental restoration activities were paired with sustainability communication, education and public awareness (CEPA) sessions with Orang Asli communities from Teluk Tongkah and Permatang Buah Kelanang.
The focus is on providing practical guidance on waste segregation, recycling and responsible disposal.
The programme also reached communities across Kelantan, Kedah, Johor, Sabah and Pahang, combining coastal cleanups with underwater conservation.
In Pulau Tioman, Nestle Malaysia partnered with the Fisheries Department and Reef Check Malaysia to remove crown-of-thorns starfish in support of coral reef conservation.
Across all locations this year, almost 400 volunteers collected 1,259.51kg of waste, bringing the total waste collected since 2019 to nearly 18 tonnes.
The initiative is part of the Nestle Sayang Komuniti volunteer platform, which enables employees to contribute directly to community and environmental causes.
