On the third weekend of September each year, a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people who want to make a difference to the world we live in takes place around the world. The annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is one of the largest volunteer events for the marine and shoreline environments to take place in the world and volunteers will descend on beaches, lakes and streams all over the planet to clean trash and debris.
As country coordinator for The Ocean Conservancy in the United States, The Body Shop® in Peninsula Malaysia organises and sponsors the Annual Beach Cleanup in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup on an annual basis since 1992. Since then, we have experienced tremendous increase in volunteer support and participation in this cleanup initiative. To date we have over 3000 volunteers; citing an increase in youth participation - a strong indication of more young people subscribing to this world’s largest volunteer activity and being conscious about the environment.
For over two decades, the ICC is not just about picking up trash and debris, but volunteers must also collect information about the items they find; and data collected will be submitted to The Ocean Conservancy for analysis. Data collected includes figures from 1986 to the most recent cleanup, providing the clearest picture of marine and shoreline debris currently collected. It also provides an insight into the causes and sources of marine debris and serves as a means to educate the public on prevention methods and solutions.
In Malaysia, over 50 per cent of total debris found came from shoreline and recreational activities like picnics, festivals, sporting events, and beach outings. Litter washed from streets, parking lots, and storm drains also contributed to this category. Smoking-related activities also contributed heavily to the total marine debris items.
