Marine Debris Crisis: Data from Malaysia’s Cleanup

Every year, Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) coordinates the nationwide International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) event, held annually in September since 2018. Organisations, groups and individuals collect data during the cleanup and key in data into the Clean Swell app to contribute to the global database of cleanups by Ocean Conservancy. This year, over 8,500 volunteers from all around Malaysia collected 41,015kg of trash during the annual event, and among the 388,730 items collected, the most common item found was plastic bottles at 50,785 bottles. We explore this year's beach cleanup data, and the ongoing major crisis of marine debris with Theresa Ng, the Chief Operating Officer of Reef Check Malaysia.

Image credit: Reef Check Malaysia