The participants of the “Walk for a Clean Sandakan” with the rubbish collected.
SANDAKAN (Sept 20): Under the umbrella of the Sandakan Community Recycling Action Program (SCRAP), some 130 volunteers gathered early on Friday morning to pick up trash along the roadside, all the way from Mile 8 to Sepilok (Mile 14).
This local community event, dubbed “Walk for a Clean Sandakan,” was organized in conjunction with the World Cleanup Day 2024, which falls on the 20th of September every year.
World Cleanup Day was incepted in 2018, and is recognized as an international day by the United Nations.
The key organizers of the event were the Forestry Department’s Recreation, Sports and Welfare Association (FORESS), the Lions Club of Sandakan Selingan and the Sandakan Municipal Council.
Others that participated included Green Buddy, Sepilok community leaders, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, Lodges and resorts in Sepilok, with the help from Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) and Sabah Forestry staff.
According to Santhi Krishnan, president of the Lions Club of Sandakan, the event was aimed at raising public awareness about the trash problem in Sandakan, and the role of local communities in keeping Sandakan clean.
The stretch of road leading up to Sepilok was chosen considering that Sepilok is Sandakan’s main visitor destination.
She emphasized the need to protect Sandakan’s tourism image, particularly because Sandakan is also known by the tourism tagline, “Sabah’s Gateway to Nature.”
A total of 350 bags and 45 sacks of garbage and recyclables were collected.