A total of 701.20 kilograms of rubbish was collected at Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, Borneo on International Cleanup Day. The rubbish piled high on the edge of the beach was a grim sight for 270 volunteers involved.

Amongst the volunteers Theresa Tham, Corporate Director of Borneo Divers said; “On one hand we were happy to see such big support from the government agencies and general  public. On the other hand it was so sad to see the amount of garbage we collected.”  The amount collected from doubled from last years’ 300 kilos.

270 Volunteers Borneo Divers

Special Guest Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Ellron Angin said most of the rubbish came from the mainland and it could damage the coral reef eco system. To make a positive difference Borneo Divers have introduced the ‘Adopt a Coral’ program where baby corals are implanted onto a cement block and carefully transferred to an underwater nursery to protect and conserve coral reefs for future generations.

“Our united effort and one strong voice created a lot of awareness in the local community. We wish to offer our Salute to Project AWARE Foundation for the good initiative to develop this wonderful program,” added Theresa.

For more ways to get involved in coral reef monitoring and protection visit projectaware.org

Asst Minister being briefed on Coral Transplant

Garbage collected