Gunung Santubong penuh sampah

52kg of trash collected from Mount Santubong

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/12/19/52kg-of-trash-collected-from-mount-santubong/

KUCHING: Volunteers from Sarawak Eco-Warriors collected 52kg of trash from Mount Santubong on their first mountain clean-up.

They were joined by Kuching Beach Cleaners and My Santubong and Borneo Adventures travel group at the clean-up which was supported by Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme (WCS Malaysia).

Besides picking up rubbish along the mountain’s summit one trail, the 28 volunteers also put up signage to remind hikers to keep the environment clean.

They thanked Sarawak Forestry Corporation, which manages the Santubong National Park, for support and assistance in identifying safe routes for the volunteers to ferry the trash.

“We are keen to continue looking at environmental education activities to help overcome the trash issue at Santubong,” Sarawak Eco-Warriors president Mark Liao said.

Santubong National Park receives large numbers of visitors annually and at times a considerable amount of trash gets left behind.

Single-use plastics, which make up most of the trash, almost always ends up in the waterways and eventually in the sea.

While this is the first mountain clean-up, Sarawak Eco-Warriors and Kuching Beach Cleaners have collaborated with WCS Malaysia on eight coastal cleaning activities throughout the year.

More than 300 volunteers managed to remove a cumulative two tonnes of marine debris, including 620kg of trash from Pandan Beach during one clean-up in April.

Liao said the monsoon season brought in marine debris consisting mainly of plastic products, which has a deadly effect on seabirds, sea turtles and other marine life.

Kuching Beach Cleaners secretary Ian Chin said single-use plastics almost always ended up in the ocean and harmed the environment.

“I love going to the beach and I have a passion for marine mammals, namely whales and dolphins.

“I make it my personal mission in life to do my best to contribute while impacting others’ attitudes towards saving the environment,” he said.

Efforts to combat plastic pollution will continue as the volunteer groups have pledged to organise clean-ups every first Saturday of the month starting in January.

https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2018/12/19/52kg-of-trash-collected-from-mount-santubong/

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