Participants pick up rubbish at Marina Beach.
MIRI: Dayang Enterprise held a cleaning campaign yesterday at Marina Beach here in conjunction with its annual Quality, Health, Safety, Security, Environment (QHSSE) event.
The campaign aimed at creating awareness on the importance of keeping oceans, seas and all waterways free from pollution.
“The litter washed up on our shores is not just unpleasant to look at, it can harm and even kill some of the best-loved marine wildlife,” said organising chairperson Douglas Foo, adding that marine species including seabirds, turtles and whales which mistook marine litter for food suffer starvation, poisoning and a slow, painful death as a result, affecting the ecosystem and food chain.
According to Foo, plastic packaging and discarded fishing nets also injure, entangle and drown some favourite marine animals, including dolphins and sometimes even human beings.
“This campaign not only makes the beach look great and clean for everyone, it also helps us identify the sources.
“Many dedicated local volunteers had done so much to clear litter along Miri beaches, and we want to help them further by creating awareness on this importance. We want this event to be the catalyst and serve as educational awareness for members of the public,” he added.
He thanked Miri City Council for working together with the organiser to ensure all rubbish collected during the campaign is disposed off properly.
About 150 staff of Dayang Enterprise and their family members took part in the clean-up.
Besides the beach cleaning campaign, Dayang Enterprise, as a responsible corporate figure, is also organising a charity golf tournament on Aug 24, blood donation drive on Sept 4, futsal match on Sept 14, official launching of the QHSSE Campaign with talks on health on Sept 25 and a charity run on Oct 27.