Rubbish-strewn Marina Beach a far cry from its former glory

MIRI (Feb 22): Seven volunteers from the Miri City Caring Society (MCCS) cleared enormous piles of rubbish that washed ashore on Marina Beach on Saturday morning in a bid to highlight the urgent need to address the environmental disaster plaguing the once beautiful shoreline.

Between 7am and 8am, the volunteers filled up 30 bags of plastic waste, primarily consisting of plastic bottles.

This follows the previous cleanup activity on March 15, where 50 bags of waste were collected.

In a statement, MCCS president Karambir Singh said the cleanup was initiated to draw attention to the environmental disaster that has overtaken the beach.

“The alarming situation at Marina Beach, where plastic waste has made it nearly impossible to see the sand, clearly shows the severity of the issue.

“In addition to being an environmental disaster, the plastic waste has become an eyesore. I personally saw some tourists with cameras looking disappointed by the state of the beach. It is disheartening to see our natural beauty marred by plastic waste,” he said.

Therefore, he was glad the Miri City Council (MCC) has now joined forces and is planning a cleanup on Sunday (Feb 23), and called for more organisations to come forward to help restore Marina Beach to its former glory.

“We would also like to call upon all, for concrete and sustainable actions, to eliminate plastic waste from our drains, rivers and seas. Collective effort from all sectors of society is essential to tackle this pressing issue and protect our environment for future generations,” he said.

He added MCCS is open to any collaborative activities and public or private entities can contact him at 016-878 5500.