THE Young Adult Worker Volunteer Group of the World Mission Society Church of God stepped up for the environment by taking part in a beach cleanup in Bayan Lepas.
Known as ASEZ WAO, the group held its “No More GPGP” campaign at Pantai Seagate on Nov 30. GPGP refers to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive accumulation of floating plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean.
The campaign aimed to spread the message “No More Plastic” to the international community.
Some 50 participants, including members, their families, friends and acquaintances, assembled at Pantai Seagate equipped with tongs, gloves and rubbish bags.
They divided themselves into small teams and combed nearly 1.5km of shoreline, from the trail to the lawn. The area was in dire need of cleaning, with litter found throughout the stretch, which sees heavy public footfall.
The cleanup lasted for about three hours, during which they collected 30 bags of trash (30L each) weighing a total of 35kg. The bags were filled with plastic bottles, cups, straws, food packaging, plastic bags, glass bottles, cans and other waste.
Beyond the cleanup, volunteers also engaged with members of the public by sharing information on the severity of plastic pollution and encouraging steps to reduce single-use plastic. They used exhibition panels to enhance public awareness.
ASEZ WAO is also involved in various other environmental initiatives, including the “Blue Ocean” campaign (cleaning rivers and oceans), the “Green Earth” campaign (cleaning streets and parks), and the “Mother’s Forest” campaign (tree-planting worldwide).
The group has organised cleanup activities in locations such as Golden Beach in Trombol, Lutong Beach in Sarawak, Peace Park in Kota Kinabalu, Sunway City in Petaling District, Selangor, and Pasir Gudang in Johor Bahru. They have also led community efforts by repainting vandalised walls in Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur, and Kuching, Sarawak; planting trees to provide shade for the public; and consistently visiting children’s welfare facilities.
Pix courtesy of ASEZ WAO