“‘No plastic’ for three days campaign in Penang”
The Star 28 Nov 2009

GEORGE TOWN: It is “No Plastic Day” on Tuesdays and Wednesdays too in Penang from Jan 1.

The state government has decided to extend its “No Plastic Monday” campaign against the use of plastic bags to three days in a week.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said all hypermarkets, supermarkets and mini-markets would be required to abide by the ruling for their licences to be renewed under the Local Government Act and Municipal Council of Penang Island (Food Establishments) by-laws.

“Consumers who insist on plastic bags will still pay 20sen per plastic bag, which will then be channelled to the state government’s ‘Partners Against Poverty’ fund to wipe out hardcore poverty,” he said.

Lim said even single stores at shopping malls would now be required to adhere to the ruling on Mondays.

He said according to data provided by 45 supermarkets, hypermarkets and other retailers, Penangites saved on the use of more than one million plastic bags since the campaign kicked off in July.

“To date, we have also collected RM21,403 for the fund for the poor,” he added.

“Due to tremendous public support, the state has decided to extend it to three days after discussion with all stakeholders, including non-governmental groups and plastic manufacturers.”

Photo albums to share with you:

• Photos from Marcus Tay – link (19 photos)
• Photos from Ng Kai Scene – link (73 photos)

The cleanups yesterday were covered by The Star and New Straits Times (see below and WildSingapore News for archived text). The media coverage is very helpful as it helps to raise awareness about marine debris issues in Malaysia and hopefully see volunteers think about contributing to the data gathering process next year. 

So, if you are interested in organising a data-gathering cleanup in Malaysia next September as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, do write to us at coastalcleanuppenang@gmail.com

We would like to get a better picture about marine debris on our shores and any group can use the data card to collect, categorise and dispose of marine debris on any beach, mangrove or other shoreline in Malaysia.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Today was THE DAY! 

The coastal cleanup team of volunteers 
The first International Coastal Cleanup Penang (ICCP) organised by the Centre for Coastal and Marine Studies, University Sains Malaysia or CEMACS (USM). The attendance was amazing – we had representatives from the Penang National Park, Rasa Sayang Spa & Resort, and most importantly, our largest group of volunteers — Region 1 Lions & Leo Clubs. 

A welcome and a hike!
The event started off at the Penang National Park headquarters, where Dr Khairun (the Director of CEMACS) and Lion Choong Kwei Loi (District Governor of the Lions Clubs International) gave their welcoming speeches to the enthusiastic crowd. The participants were then split into two groups — one going to Teluk Aling and the other to Pasir Pandak.

The participants going to Teluk Aling deserve a big "Hoorah", because they had to hike for 30 minutes to reach the cleanup site! Once we were there, a breifing was conducted about data collection and safety issues and the participants were grouped into teams – then the action began!

Serious about data collection
I was very heartened to see participants from all ages enthusiastically collecting trash and recording the data, as if this is a very serious business. Also, when we first arrived, everyone had the impression that the beach was quite clean.

More than the eye could see
But once we looked closer at the area above the strand line and among the bushes, we found so much trash that it kept everyone busy until the end of the cleanup.

Buried sins
At a particular spot on the beach, one participant started uncovering a plastic bag half-buried in the sand, and lo and behold, there was a lot of other trash items buried deeper down! More people came to help him with the dig and ended up finding beverage and food cans, sauce bottles, more plastic bags and other items! A half-hour later, they were still digging the same spot, picking out more and more trash.

These items were likely buried by irresponsible picnickers who enjoyed the beach. Well, they probably took 2 minutes to bury the trash, but it took us a long time to get to it for proper disposal!

An eco-friendly meal!
After the cleanup, the participants were greeted by lunch packed in eco-friendly food container (made of recycled paper) with non-disposable utensils provided by CEMACS. I would like to compliment CEMACS for organizing the event with an eco-friendly approach. This is something that other events can also adopt. 

A smooth operation
I think we really did a great job today. Thanks to Dr Khairun, Mr Sim and the staff from CEMACS for making sure that the cleanup went smoothly and all participants are taken good care of. Also, I would like to thank the participating organizations to put in so much effort into the cause.

Every single person played a big role in today's cleanup. The beach is cleaner and we've collated all the data and posted it online within hours. This data will be sent to the Ocean Conservancy for action at the international level. 

See you at ICCP 2010!
Alison Wee

This morning, a team of 147 volunteers from Region 1 Lions & Leo Clubs, Rasa Sayang Spa & Resorts and Penang National Park, coordinated by USM’s CEMACS and supported by volunteers from ICC Singapore, tackled marine debris along 750 meters of shoreline.

They collected, categorised and removed 2,517 items of marine debris, weighing 677kg, in 67 trash bags – well done everyone!

The data from the cleanup at Teluk Aling and Pantai Pandak is online at http://tinyurl.com/iccp2009-data – click to see!. This data will soon be submitted to the Ocean Conservancy for inclusion in the 2009 global data.

Great job everyone! A first step and the start of something special!

Click to see the larger, navigable map.

The four representatives form ICC SIngapore, Andy Dinesh, Marcus Tay, Ng Kai Scene and Penang-girl Alison Wee are heading up north soon and will reach CEMACS this evening. They will stay there for an early start to the day when they will help in the ICC Penang at Pasir Pandak and Teluk Aling in north-west Penang. 

Have a safe trip you four!

"Penang must tackle its pollution woes," by Chung Choeng Hoy.
igeorgetownpenang.com, 29 Jul 2009. Republished with permission from The Sun.
http://www.igeorgetownpenang.com/opinion/305-penang-must-tackle-its-pollution-woes

Some food for thought – read the article!

http://lcgtmutiara.blogspot.com/2009/09/international-coastal-cleanup-project.html

Also on Penang Region 1 Leo Clubs and Leo Club of Penang Chinese Girl’s High School.

http://www.usm.my/bi/berita-penuh-en.asp?id=7160

USM organises Coastal Cleanup Campaign

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) through the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies will be organizing an “International Coastal Cleanup (Penang)” ICCP 2009 Campaign on Saturday, 26 September 2009 at 8.00 a.m. at the Pasir Pandak and Teluk Aling Beaches, Penang.

This campaign, organized by ‘Ocean Conservancy US’ is an annual activity involving the largest number of volunteers in the world. In Penang, it is jointly organized by Coastal Cleanup, Singapore, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research and the National University of Singapore.

Through this activity, each sample of garbage collected will be sent to Ocean Conservancy US for analysis with the aim of gathering more information in the area of marine and coastal studies.

"BooBoo" blogs about her first coastal cleanup experience which included the lovely sight of turtle hatchlings running the beach into the waters of Teluk Aling!

Read her account, "Coastal Cleanup Penang (Beta Test) 1" (14 Mar 2009)
http://boobooonthegoo.blogspot.com/2009/03/coastal-cleanup-penang-beta-test.html