Some 1,052 kilogrammes of rubbish were collected during a beach cleaning campaign organised in conjunction with Perbadanan Tabung Amanah Islam Brunei’s (Perbadanan TAIB) 32nd anniversary celebration at Tanjung Batu Beach yesterday.
“I can still recall a time when our beaches were mostly littered with just driftwood. Back then, plastic waste was rarely seen on our beaches,” Perbadanan TAIB Managing Director Datin Hajah Hasnah binti Haji Ibrahim said.
“My children have never had the privilege of seeing plastic-free beaches, and unless the world as a community pulls together to address the issue of plastic waste, our environment for many generations to come will continue to suffer the deadly consequences of improperly disposed plastic waste.”
She added, “Every single plastic bottle, container, wrapper, utensil or other forms of waste we remove from this beach will mean that we are helping to remove the source of millions of micro-plastic particles polluting our marine environment by entering the marine food chain and inevitably, the fish that we and our children consume.”
The threat of micro plastics is real and almost invisible, therefore she urged everyone at Perbadanan TAIB to rethink the use of plastic, especially single-use plastics like straws and food and drink containers.
“Let’s do our best to reuse and repurpose as much plastic as possible, while teaching our children to dispose of plastic waste properly.
“At the very least, please do not throw trash in rivers and the sea. Just because a piece of rubbish drops out of sight does not mean it will not end up poisoning the fish nuggets or tuna sandwiches our grandchildren consume years later,” she added
The beach cleaning campaign brought together Perbadanan TAIB employees, community members and environmental enthusiasts to protect the Sultanate’s coastal ecosystem.
The event featured activities, including educational sessions on the importance of marine conservation, recycling and sustainable living practices. There was also game and competition for participants from the Perbadanan TAIB Group of Companies comprising Perbadanan TAIB, Insurans Islam TAIB Holdings Sdn Bhd and Darussalam Holdings Sdn Bhd.
Team blue emerged as the winner for collecting the most trash with 412 kilogrammes, while team pink collected 373 kilogrammes and team green 267 kilogrammes.
As part of its commitment to environmental responsibility, Perbadanan TAIB said the event was a zero-waste initiative. – James Kon
