SEMPORNA: Despite minimal human activity on Boheyan Island, a volunteer cleanup crew still managed to find 3,472.5kg of trash recently from its waters and beaches.
The island, however, is close to the tourism destinations of Timba-Timba and Mataking islands and it is perhaps this which caused so much trash to be found.
Massurayah Manimbora, who is one of the 50 volunteers at the island, said: "Our islands and reefs in Semporna are often promoted as among the best in the region, but trash pollution is a pervasive threat to our ocean's beauty.
"I hope these cleanup efforts become an annual event recognised by the local government, with broader participation from the public and tourism operators."
Massurayah said this in a statement following the month-long cleanup events in Semporna for International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Organised by Reef Check Malaysia, over 22,880kg of trash was removed from beaches and coral reefs here by 805 volunteers.
On Mabul Island, over 300 islanders collected 14,166.9kg of waste, while 63 participants on Selakan Island removed 1,458kg of trash.
The Kulapuan Marine Conservation Group collected 1,591kg on Kulapuan Island, and Sekolah Alternatif Semporna gathered over 240kg of waste on the mainland.
Five underwater cleanups were conducted, with 63 divers retrieving over 662kg of trash from the coral reefs.
A total of 222,760 items were collected, with plastic bottles being the most common, accounting for 15.64 per cent of the total waste.
Reef Check Malaysia project manager in Semporna Adzmin Fatta said these efforts highlight the growing need to protect our marine environment while engaging the local community.
"Through these cleanups, we not only raise awareness of critical issues but also promote collaborative actions that everyone can take to address these problems.
"Beyond these cleanups, we need to improve our waste management system and policies and continue engaging everyone to raise awareness for behavioural change," he said.
Plastic pollution poses a global crisis, with eight million tonnes entering the ocean annually, and many plastics takings up to 450 years to decompose.