We’re all no stranger to the fact that Malaysia happens to be one of the worst countries in the world when it comes to plastic waste. In fact, according to Star2, Malaysia ranks 8th in the world for the most amount of plastic waste produced. In 2010 alone, it was found that we produced almost one million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste; a lot of which ended up in the ocean or in landfills.
What’s more, scientists have stated that in the near future, there will be more plastic than fish in the sea.
That’s awful! And if you think this plastic waste is only affecting the fishes in the sea and it has nothing to do with you, think again! Plastic waste affects us more than you know! Here’s how:
1. It makes us really, really SICK
Source: Fox News
With so much unused plastic being tossed around and piling up in landfills, imagine how much toxic chemicals leech out of them? One common plastic-related chemical that leeches out and affects our health greatly is known as bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA can be found in your everyday mineral water bottles, sports equipment, household items and basically anything that contains plastic.
This chemical is an endocrine disruptor that can imitate the body’s hormones and interfere with your body’s natural hormones. This can lead to different types of cancer, diabetes, heart diseases, birth defects, impaired immunity, infertility and so forth.
2. The seafood and sashimi we eat are infested with plastic microparticles
Source: Real Images
Due to the fact that so much of our plastic ends up in the ocean, many underwater creatures tend to mistake them for food. When ingested, toxic chemicals from the plastic leeches into the fish’s systems and when we eat them, we ingest the toxins as well.
According to a research carried out by Malaysian and French scientists, it was found that microplastics exert harmful effects by becoming a medium to facilitate the transport of other toxic compounds such as heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants into the body of organisms like the fishes in the sea. And when we ingest these fishes, the chemicals from the fish may be released and cause toxicity.
3. Our flash floods are often caused by plastic litter stuck in drains
Source: Hindustan Times
So, the next time you think about throwing that tiny piece of candy wrapper out your car window, think again! Remember guys, sedikit-sedikit, lama-lama jadi bukit! If you’ve done this before and littered on our streets, that means you are also one of the reasons our roads and highways are always flooded. So don’t complain the next time your car is stuck in flood waters!
In case you didn’t know, plastic does not dissolve in water or any other substance for that matter. Whenever you throw your plastic waste out on the streets, odds are, they’ll end up in the drains, clogging them up completely.
4. We’re slowly running out of clean beaches to makan angin at
Source: Bega District News
Port Dickson beach is a great example. Visit any of the beaches there and you’ll notice plastic food wrappers (and sometimes even used diapers) strewn all over in the sand and waters. Some even dump their unfinished picnic food into the waters. SMH!
If we keep this up, more and more of our beautiful beaches will soon become extinct and we’ll no longer be able to have our beach getaways anymore. No more sunbathing on soft, white sand or swimming in clear blue waters because there would be just too much trash everywhere.
5. More and more of our favourite wildlife animals will slowly become extinct
Source: Vice
From the smallest of birds to the largest of whales, their livelihoods and habitats are all being threatened by our plastic waste. Dead whales, turtles, sea birds and more have washed up on our shores because their intestines were filled with our plastic. Sooner or later, all these animals will become extinct; and you can forget about scuba diving or joining whale-watching tours during any of your future island getaways if you don’t start doing something about this!
We don’t know about you but these things definitely scare us! It’s a sad and scary reality that’s slowly becoming more and more real and we’re mostly responsible for it!
That’s why, this year, together with JomRun, we want to bring awareness to this issue and reduce the usage of plastic all over Malaysia. To spearhead this movement, JomRun has started the JomRun Away From Plastic Fun Run whereby runners are encouraged to bring their own bottles or purchase a signature foldable cup from JomRun to use during the event.
In fact, during the recent and very first JomRun Away From Plastic Fun Run in Cyberjaya, the entire event was able to use 412 paper cups ONLY for 2,463 participants!
Source: JomRun
If you want to be a part of this awesome movement, make sure you sign up for their upcoming JomRun Away From Plastic Fun Run happening in Penang! Deets below:
Venue: Botanical Gardens, Penang
Date: 28 April 2019
Distance: 3KM
Price: RM18 (Super Early Birds), RM28 (Early Birds), RM38 (Normal)
Psst… Runners will receive a limited edition JomRun tee and finisher medal. So worth it!
Source: JomRun
Plus, if you add an additional RM10, you can get the signature JomRun foldable cup as well and be a part of the movement to reduce the use of plastic cups in runs and marathons.
Source: JomRun
In addition to this Penang Fun Run, you can opt to take part in the JomRun Away From Plastic Fun Run in Johor on 29th June (5KM) and Melaka on 3rd August as well!
And ICYMI, JomRun is actually an app that tracks your distance when you walk or run and it rewards you with vouchers based on how much points you accumulate after every run! That’s not all – JomRun also showcases all the latest runs and marathons happening around Malaysia; plus, they offer the cheapest prices since they don’t charge admin fees.
So, if you’re interested to sign up or find out more about JomRun, download the app from the Play Store or App Store and let’s combat plastic waste together!
