Turning Community Action into Coastal Impact

On 12 September 2026, The Planet Prodigy (TPP), with support from Yinson4Youth (Y4Y) grant funding, Sustainable Development Centre (UMSDC), Majlis Perbandaran Kuala Selangor (MPKS), Water Warriors, UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP), and Malaysian Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS), brought together volunteers for a community-led coastal cleanup at Pantai Jeram, Kuala Selangor.

The initiative engaged 49 volunteers, who collected and documented 4,678 litter items weighing 328.5 kg across 39 litter categories, using the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) citizen-science approach. Plastic and single-use waste dominated the findings, with plastic bags, beverage bottles and food wrappers among the most frequently recorded items. The activity not only removed waste from the coastline but also generated valuable data to support future efforts in marine litter prevention, environmental education and coastal stewardship.

What Did We Find?

The cleanup revealed a strong prevalence of plastic and single-use consumer waste along the coastline.

The most frequently recorded litter categories were:

• Other plastic bags — 1,298 items (27.7%)
• Plastic beverage bottles — 651 items (13.9%)
• Food wrappers — 527 items (11.3%)
• Plastic grocery bags — 326 items (7.0%)
• Plastic and foam pieces — 278 items (5.9%)

Together, the four largest categories (plastic bags, beverage bottles, food wrappers and grocery bags) accounted for 2,802 items, or approximately 60% of all litter recorded. Other notable items included plastic food containers, utensils, cups and plates, straws and stirrers, cigarette butts, glass bottles, beverage cans and fishing-related debris.

Building Youth Environmental Stewardship

The programme demonstrated how youth action, corporate support, citizen science and cross-sector partnerships can come together to create meaningful environmental impact. Through hands-on litter collection, waste identification, data recording and environmental learning, participants experienced how everyday consumption choices can translate into environmental impacts beyond the places where waste is initially discarded. More importantly, the cleanup demonstrates that every volunteer, every recorded item and every kilogram of waste removed can contribute to a larger movement towards healthier and more resilient coastal environments. Together, we turn environmental awareness into action.