By Brad Rantayy
MIRI, Dec 6: The Marina Bay Beach cleaning programme organised by Miri Second-Hand and Recycle Dealers Association today managed to collect a total of 2,000 kg of garbage and 500 kg of plastic bottles and materials.
Sarawak Transport Minister Datuk Lee Kim Shin, accompanied by Miri Mayor Adam Yii, also joined the association for the beach cleaning programme.
Beach cleaning, which is an annual event for the association, is aimed at enhancing public awareness on the problem of environmental pollution, especially plastic materials pollution in Miri. It is also to encourage the public to do plastic recycle.
Lee commended the association for having organised a number of beach cleaning campaigns and working with the Miri City Council in its Local Agenda programmes.
The formation of the association in 2017 was mooted by Lee, who is also Senadin assemblyman.
His idea was to get all the second hand dealers in Miri to come together to form an association, to come up with a common stand and agreement to reject buying any suspected stolen goods and cooperate to maintain proper register of details of sellers of second hand goods and articles.
“At that time, Miri City faced the problem of quite frequent telephone and electrical cables as well as water meters theft. Drains and manhole metal covers were also stolen quite frequently,” he opined in his opening remarks.
Following the formation of the association and its close cooperation with the police and relevant authorities, these problems have been drastically reduced to a very minimum today.
It was based on the basic principle of “No Demand, No Supply; No Buyers, No Sellers”, Lee said.
Another proposal by Lee to the association was to produce an educational video on 3Rs and to segregate household garbage, such as plastics and aluminium cans which have value and can be sold to second hand dealers.
He also sponsored the cost of production of the video, which is currently being done and due for completion early next year. It will be distributed to schools and community organisations in efforts to educate the public on the importance of conserving nature through recycling programmes.
Lee also suggested that the association collaborates with the Miri City Council to adopt and implement programmes towards the promotion of 5R Culture — reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose and refuse.
“This will greatly reduce the amount of household garbage and also conserve natural resources, landfill space and energy,” he disclosed. — DayakDaily
