Now, we all know that Malaysians litter. It’s a fact. At any given day, our beaches and parks have an abundance of plastic bags and tin cans lying around the ground.
So, that begs the question. Just how much do Malaysians litter?
Beserah State Assembly Member, YB Tuan Haji Andansura bin Rabu, took to his Facebook page to share that his cleanup initiative managed to collect more than 600kgs of rubbish by Sungai Balok, Kuantan.
He wrote, “More than 600 kilograms of garbage was collected in an hour. This is the attitude of some of us, towards hygiene and environmental protection.”
The area around Sungai Balok was cleaned up in conjunction with his initiative for the Pahang State Government’s National Environment Day 2021 celebrations.
“Most of the garbage collected were beverage bottles and plastics, as well as a variety of other items. These items were not dumped around the place, but may have been dumped or left elsewhere and have been washed here (by the river),”
“Garbage that we throw away or leave everywhere, may it be around out houses or in public places, will go down the drains and ditches when it rains, before being taken to rivers and the sea,” he explained.
And in turn, this garbage will cause infrastructure damage and flash floods.
“Our hands are among the causes of unwanted disasters. We are quick to see or find fault in others but overlook our own wrongdoings,”
“Let us look at ourselves, to what extent is our role that we have to play in maintaining the cleanliness of the environment and to environmental sustainability. Each of us has a role to play in reminding each other, especially among family members, relatives and the neighbourhood,” he added.
We need to cultivate and normalise environmentally-protective behaviour among community members and the younger generation for the sake of preservation and an improved way of life for all of us.
Having 600 kgs of garbage sitting on the side of a river should never become something normal.
What do you think about this? Let us know in the comment section.
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