MARANG, Dec 28 — A total of 166 kilograms of waste, mostly plastic bottles, was collected within two hours at Pantai Kekabu here yesterday.

Marang’s Geng Plastik Ija (GPI) chief Rahim Embong said 25 volunteers, including GPI members, Marang District Council (MDM) garbage collectors, and local residents, took part in the Plogging Santai Pulau Kekabu programme.

He said the Northeast Monsoon brought large amounts of waste from overseas, polluting Terengganu’s beaches.

“Most of the waste consists of bottles from other countries, identifiable by brands not sold in Malaysia. We organised the cleanup to maintain a good image for tourists, in line with the slogan Terengganu Negeri Cantik, Budaya Menarik,” he said.

Rahim added that some of the collected waste would be sent to disposal centres, while plastic bottles would go to a recycling centre in Kampung Undang here.

He said the programme also aims to educate the public on keeping beaches clean, as they are important for tourism and people’s lives.

“The Plogging Santai programme has been held regularly since Marang GPI was established in 2019. We focus on cleaning beaches, including Pantai Rhu Rendang, Pantai Rhu Renggeh, Pantai Jambu Bongkok, Pantai Rhu Dua, Pantai Rusila, and Pantai Angin Berbisik,” he added. — Bernama