My friend and I recently joined a beach clean-up at Jerudong Beach. We returned a week later to find that the site had returned to its pre-campaign state. It was disheartening to discover that our efforts had amounted to nothing.
As a regular volunteer, I want to believe that the causes that I take part in make a difference. Given that I’m also an avid diver, I am particularly concerned about beach and marine pollution. But I’m starting to wonder if beach clean-ups are the answer. Holding a campaign seems to be conveying the message to these litterbugs that there are people who are willing to pick up their trash.
While heightening public awareness continues to be relevant, especially among the younger generation, that it is our civic duty to keep the environment clean and rubbish-free, I’m afraid we are way past the roadshow stage.
Plastic is now found everywhere, even in our bodies! We can ill-afford to sit on the sidelines as it insidiously invades every corner of the planet. We need to put fear in the mind of these irresponsible people that littering is no longer tolerated. We need to catch them in the act on CCTV, slap them with hefty fines and shame them on public forums. We need to do something before it’s too late.
Voluntary Blues
