Nothing beats the experience of walking along clean, breezy beaches for tourists and locals alike.
However, keeping Malaysia’s beaches clean requires constant effort, a challenge OSK Group is tackling head-on with its COMB-AT (OSK Beach Combing) initiative.
The year-long coastal cleanup is designed to protect marine ecosystems and coastal tourism.
The programme was launched by Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) secretary-general Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot and OSK Group executive director Datuk Saiful Bahri Zainuddin at Pantai Balok, Kuantan, Pahang.
The programme involved OSK Group’s hospitality business, Swiss-Garden Beach Resort Kuantan, which sits along the coastline.
“Our beaches are among the country’s most important natural assets for the tourism sector,” said Shaharuddin.
“Protecting these natural attractions is not only an environmental responsibility, but is also vital to maintaining the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of our tourism industry.
“Initiatives such as COMB-AT demonstrate what can be achieved when the government, industry, local authorities and communities unite with a shared responsibility,” he said.
He added that sustainable tourism was a key element of any top-quality destination.
“We need data on the types of waste found along the shore to address the problem effectively.”
Meanwhile, Saiful Bahri said the initiative was an opportunity to bring OSK’s sustainability commitment to life through the collective efforts of its people, partners and the community.
“At OSK, sustainability cannot remain confined to reports, it must be experienced and put into action by our people.
“COMB-AT gives our teams, partners and the community a direct opportunity to contribute while helping us better understand the environmental challenges around us,” he said.
“We view this as a purposeful cleanup.
“Beyond clearing litter, the data we gather alongside SWCorp will help build a clearer picture of waste patterns along the coastline.
“This allows us to move from simply responding to the problem to understanding it better and devising more informed, long-term solutions,” he said.
The COMB-AT programme covers 1.4km of shoreline per session, spanning roughly 45,000 sqm and totalling about 42km of shoreline annually.
During the inaugural beach cleanup, the 100 participants collected 68.75kg of waste, which was sorted and recorded by type.
The waste collected included 38.15kg of plastic and plastic bottles, 7.35kg of garden waste, 7.20kg of fabric and 5.30kg of rope, among other types of waste.
The initiative also builds on OSK Group’s broader circular economy and waste management strategy.
In 2025, the group diverted 198,669kg of metal, 155,356kg of paper and 784,437kg of plastics from landfills, representing more than double the total volume diverted the previous year, he said.
COMB-AT also directly supports OSK Group’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Also present at the event were students from the Advanced Technology Academy in Balok, Gebeng.
Among them was 19-year-old Noranis Shahadah Abdullah, who joined the beach cleanup with her college peers.
“I am from Kelantan but I study here in Kuantan.
“The beaches need to be clean because this attracts tourists and helps small and big businesses,” she said.
