Instilling green leadership qualities via clean-up efforts

The Star

20-07-2025

Syaiful Azmen says certain types of rubbish are more effectively reduced via community efforts.
With seven log booms and two RM5mil rubbish collection vessels at their disposal, one may think that the company appointed by Selangor government to clean the 56km Sungai Klang will have little need for volunteers to come in and remove rubbish by hand.
However, Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin said certain types of rubbish were more effectively reduced by community efforts in comparison to mechanical equipment.
'While our river cleaning assets such as The Interceptor and log booms are highly effective in collecting floating debris, there are limitations to what machinery can access.
A volunteer helping to extract small items like plastic bottles from hard-to-reach areas at the mangroves along Sungai Klang.
'Certain types of waste, especially those that are trapped in mangrove forests, entangled along riverbanks or stuck near fishermen villages require manual removal.
'This is where community involvement becomes invaluable. People are able to extract both small items like plastic bottles, polystyrene boxes, slippers, sports balls and bulky waste like car parts, furniture, tree branches, even discarded fridges, from hard-to-reach areas,' he said.
Syaiful Azmen added that in comparison, out of the 92,000 million tonnes of waste collected via mechanical means, waste removed during community clean-ups amounted to about 19.9 million tonnes or less than 0.03% of the total.
However, this does not lessen the community efforts' importance.
In fact, these community efforts go beyond cleaning, said Syaiful Azmen, adding that there were platforms to nurture environmental leadership.
'Participants become what we call 'river ambassadors' and often continue to advocate for river and environmental protection in their own circles.
'We do not just clean rivers, we build environmental stewards of tomorrow,' he added.
LLSB began structured community clean-up efforts in 2019, but saw a significant surge in traction and interest from 2023 onwards, with support from non-governmental organisations, government agencies, corporate partners, universities, schools and youth organisations.
As of June 2025, 44 community clean-up programmes, including mangrove tree planting initiatives involving 3,398 volunteers, have been organised.
These efforts have led to the removal of 19,931kg of waste from the mangrove forest, riverbanks and surrounding areas and the planting of 3,480 mangrove saplings as part of corporate social responsibility activities.
The largest event to date was in 2023, when 500 youths were hosted in a single mangrove rehabilitation programme.
'It is important to remember that waste originates from land-based human activity, not the ocean, therefore stopping it at source is key.
'Our continuous public engagement, especially with schools, universities and the youths, has played a huge role in changing mindsets.
'These clean-up initiatives act as powerful educational tools, helping people understand that preserving our rivers directly impacts our own water security and health,' said Syaiful Azmen.