CEMACS AND CDR PARTNER IN INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP 2025 TO PROTECT OCEANS

20 SEPTEMBER 2025, PENANG — The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) 2025 campaign was launched at Pantai Seagate, Penang, with strong support from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and its community partners. The programme was officiated by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Aileen Tan Shau Hwai, FASc, Director of the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS). A total of 198 participants joined the event, including USM staff, students, community volunteers and partner organisations.

The cleanup at Pantai Seagate marked the start of ICC 2025 in Malaysia. The campaign runs from 20 September to 20 October 2025, and groups are encouraged to organise their own beach or river cleanups during this period.

The ICC 2025 highlights six important goals: cleaning up trash, collecting and analysing data, identifying pollution sources, changing behaviours, raising public awareness and building stronger community cooperation. The campaign encourages everyone to play their part as “citizen scientists” by not only cleaning but also recording the types of waste collected.

Representing the Centre for Drug Research (CDR) was a team led by Dr. Norsyifa Harun, CDR’s Sustainability Coordinator, together with Dr. Juzaili Azizi, Ms. Noorul Hamizah Mat and Ms. Noorazmahani Md Kasim.

In just one hour, participants collected 141 kilograms of rubbish from the beach. The most common item found was cigarette butts, followed closely by different types of plastics. The data collected will contribute to a global database on marine debris and help in pushing for stronger actions to reduce waste.

A light activity was also held to raise awareness of cigarette litter. Participants were asked to guess the number of cigarette butts stored in a jar. Dr. Juzaili Azizi from CDR correctly guessed the number and won the contest, showing just how serious the cigarette waste problem can be.

The event shows USM’s continuous commitment to sustainability and directly supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Life Below Water, which focuses on protecting the oceans and marine life.

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