Check any waterfall spot in Malaysia and you’ll find the same problem. Rubbish and trash strew the picnic sites lay a serene and beautiful nature wonderland to waste. Do Something Good volunteers decided to do something about this as part of a national clean-up of waterfalls.
Last weekend, an international group of 23 volunteers from Malaysia, Kenya, Japan, and India gathered to restore the Kedondong Waterfalls to their former glory and remove years’ worth of rubbish.
The smallest and yet the biggest threat to the environment; plastic bags, bottles and styrofoam containers are the most common types of trash found in Malaysia’s natural habitats. Being non-biodegradable, plastics may survive in the wild for hundreds of years, posing a long-term danger to the health of wildlife and rivers.
After a briefing on health safety by an officer from the Ministry of Health, the volunteers got to work immediately. In the prelude to the battle, the team got together to plant multiple trees scattered throughout the site adding more green to the serene surroundings.
The battle was quick and decisive and no mercy was spared for bottles upon bottles of plastic and any assortment of rubbish.
A quick lunch break at 1:00 pm gave the team the rest they needed to recuperate their breath to take on the next horde as they lay trenched in enemy lines. The last of the rubbish were soon dealt with and the clean-up drive was done and completed as the clock reached 3:00 pm.
Throughout all the excitement and all the hard work, new friendships were fostered. As the bus left Kedondong Waterfall with the volunteers, we could all look back at how people from so many different backgrounds came together to make our environment a better place.
