Written by: Iman Abdul Aziz, Edited by: Shahirah Anuar

EcoKnights wrapped up the year with meaningful action on the 17th of December, just before the end of 2022, by collaborating with NTT Data Malaysia for their employee volunteering programme. A river cleanup activity was held at the PPR Sri Terengganu log boom, with 20 NTT Data employees and family members volunteering to learn how to take the initiative in cleaning up the river area to realise a sustainable future for Kuala Lumpur. To begin, volunteers were given a helpful explanation on the function of the log boom in collecting the trash, and the waste segregation process to help them understand the purpose of segregation and how it can indirectly help the cleanup be much more meaningful.

This log boom is one of many located in the heart of the Gombak River, which flows through PWTC and Dataran Merdeka until it meets the Klang River. Hence, this cleanup aims to keep the public space clean, as this log boom prevents floating debris from flowing into the heart of Kuala Lumpur city almost every day. The 45-minute cleanup began with dividing the volunteers into two groups and focused on the main area, which is the log boom and also the river bank, but also stretched to the parking areas and also walkaways from LRT Titiwangsa station.

Social Responsibility Towards Healthier Environment is for Everyone 

At the end of the cleanup, the groups amassed a total of 111.5 kg of trash after sorting it into six general categories, which is the most essential part of post-mortem cleanup; 100% plastics, food packaging, metals, textiles, tetrapacks and others. What surprises us most is that the majority of the trash collected is non-recyclable waste, which is the most common type of garbage, weighing approximately 90 kg. From carrying out the assessment, it helps the volunteers to be able to determine the source of the waste, which was mostly thrown by passersby from the bridge to the riverbank and also lay down the mitigation procedures for all sorts of types of waste.

This successful cleanup activity demonstrates the critical importance of aligning with sustainable development goals on responsible waste management and collective responsibility for keeping our environment clean and healthy. This is due to the environment’s importance in providing essential ecosystem services and improving human quality of life. The corporate citizen has the opportunity to contribute significant actions and have a massive impact on the environment through this engagement. This initiative is open to anyone who wants to make a difference in our environment. Hence, the general public members are welcome to participate in future cleanup/plogathon events together and may contact us at info@ecoknights.org.my. or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (@EcoKnights).