This company is turning beach rubbish into valuable data
AT Pantai Balok in Kuantan, the rubbish left behind on the sand is telling a story of its own. Plastic bottles... ropes... fabric... garden waste... polystyrene... and even rubber, cans and glass.
Pantai Balok in Kuantan has become a site of scientific exploration as beach rubbish reveals valuable data. During an initiative called COMB-AT, about 100 people combed a stretch of the beach, collecting 68.75kg of waste from the sand. This included 38.15kg of plastic bags and bottles, along with garden waste, fabric, rope, paper and cardboard, polystyrene, rubber, metal cans, and glass.
The objective of this year-long coastal conservation effort launched by OSK Group is to tackle marine litter and analyze what ends up along Malaysia's shores. The data gathered from the beach-combing exercise will help identify waste patterns and inform targeted environmental action. By working together, OSK Group and its partners aim to make sustainability a tangible objective and move beyond simply cleaning up beaches.
The initiative is supported by several organizations, including the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, Tourism Pahang, Kuantan City Council, and Swiss-Grand Beach Resort Kuantan, which is part of OSK Group's hospitality portfolio. The beach is seen as a crucial natural asset for tourism, and protecting it is essential for the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of Malaysia's tourism industry.
By returning to the same stretch of beach each month, COMB-AT hopes to reveal more than just the amount of rubbish that can be removed, potentially providing insights into the coastline's needs and informing long-term solutions.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
