GEORGE TOWN: Cigarette butts made up the largest number of litter items collected during a recent coastal cleanup in Bayan Lepas.
Volunteers picked up 1,728 cigarette butts along a 500m stretch of coast in just one hour, compared with 569 other plastic items, including bottles, and 341 straws.
In all, 220 volunteers collected 180.2kg of rubbish during the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (Cemacs) International Coastal Cleanup 2026 on Saturday.
ALSO READ : Heat and microplastics land a double blow
Cemacs senior lecturer Dr Annette Jaya Ram said cigarette butts had topped the list or ranked among the three most common items found during cleanups globally for decades.
She said smokers might not think much about throwing a single cigarette butt.
Cigarette butts are a major source of microplastics that can pollute ecosystems, harm wildlife, and release toxic chemicals into water and soil.
“I think in general, there is a lack of responsibility from people who smoke.
“They think it is a small piece, just one, so they do not throw it in the rubbish bin.
“It is the same all over the world. People do not realise cigarette butts contain filaments which eventually become microplastics,” she said.
Annette said plastic bottles and straws remained common finds during coastal cleanups.
ALSO READ : Plastics also found in marine park coral reefs
“We cannot stop people from smoking, but we can emphasise the need to discard the butts in the bin,” she said.
The cleanup was part of Cemacs’ annual month-long campaign held every September since 2020.
Cleanups this year run from Sept 19 to Oct 20, with people encouraged to clean coastal areas in their respective states and neighbouring countries, including Thailand.
Data on the rubbish collected will then be submitted to Cemacs.
Cigarette butts have long been among the most common items found during coastal and urban cleanups worldwide, accounting for an estimated 30% to 40% of items collected.
International studies have found an average of 0.24 cigarette butts per sq m in urban and aquatic areas, with heavily littered beaches recording more than 38 per sq m.
The Cemacs event was held along with Penang Island City Council’s World Cleanup Day.
On the same day, Malaysians taking part in Hari Cuci Malaysia 2026 set two Malaysia Book of Records milestones, with 272,390 participants nationwide and 89,221kg of recyclables collected.
The programme was held at 469 locations nationwide, with 8,010.19 tonnes of solid waste collected.
