Hi everyone!
In a previous blog post, I had written about how we can tackle marine chemical pollution through the purchasing choices we make as consumers. This time, I would like to encourage you to take action against plastic pollution by highlighting the amazing efforts of Singapore’s ground-up, clean-up community on our shores and in our waters.
1. East Coast Beach Plan
One of my first experiences doing a beach clean-up was attributed to the movement known as the East Coast Beach Plan. In July 2020, Samantha Thian started a Telegram group to call for volunteers to help clean up East Coast Beach, which saw lots of trash being washed up due to the monsoon season. Thousands of people joined the group and many participated in clean-up sessions, especially during the National Day period in 2020 (me included). The group coordinated efforts so that volunteers were spread out over the different areas of the beach. The group also kept track of the weight of trash picked up from all the clean-ups to gain an idea of the community’s collective impact. While the group is not as active as it was in 2020, it has a wealth of resources and information for individuals to organise their own clean-ups and is still used to update members on the trash load of different areas.
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2. SG Beach Warriors
SG Beach Warriors was founded in 2019 by Faith Tan, after she witnessed much trash on our shores and heard the news about a turtle failing to lay her eggs due to plastic trash in the sand. The group of committed volunteers hosts regular (almost weekly!) clean-ups at different shores across Singapore. They collate data on the trash they pick up, such as the weight and quantity of common items collected. One can easily sign up and join their clean-up sessions through their Facebook page. The group also recently conducted outreach efforts at a Public Libraries Singapore event to increase public awareness of the marine trash issue.
SG Beach Warriors event booth at the Green Market: World Water Day event (photo from SG Beach Warriors’ Facebook page)
3. Our Singapore Reefs
Founded by Sam Shu Qin, Our Singapore Reefs is a community of divers that loves and wants to protect Singapore’s coral reefs. They promote awareness about Singapore’s marine biodiversity by organising and participating in a range of community engagement activities, such as talks, beach clean-ups and biodiversity walks. The group also conducts dive clean-ups to remove marine debris from our waters.
Volunteer divers recording data on the trash collected (photo from Our Singapore Reefs Facebook page)
4. Stridy
Created by a Singapore-based founding team, Stridy is an app that allows individuals and communities to record and track their clean-up efforts. Whenever you do a clean-up (called a Stride on the platform), the app tracks your clean-up duration, distance and route. It also allows you to log down the items you have picked up. The aim of Stridy is to build and motivate the clean-up community by quantifying and visualising the combined impact of every person’s contributions.
After my first clean-up experience with East Coast Beach Plan, I developed the regular habit of cycling to a nearby park to pick up trash. I track my clean-ups on Stridy and feel encouraged whenever I see others log down their Strides as well.
Summary of a Stride I did at Changi Beach 2 weeks ago
Some may say that beach or dive clean-ups are not useful, as they only remove a small proportion of waste in the ocean. I do acknowledge that clean-ups may barely make a dent in the plastic pollution issue and that efforts to prevent plastics from entering the ocean (eg. holding plastic producers accountable, improved waste management systems) are perhaps more significant. However, I believe that the impact of clean-ups extends far beyond the amount of trash collected. Clean-ups are eye-opening experiences, making participants more aware of the magnitude of plastic pollution. It can create waves of change by getting people to consider how their own behaviours and lifestyles might be contributing to the problem.
I hope you will take the time to join a clean-up session through one of the avenues mentioned in this post – to understand the weight of marine plastic pollution in Singapore, as well as to connect with others in the clean-up community who are fiercely passionate about the cause. And if you are ever doing a clean-up on the eastern side of Singapore, I hope to bump into you!
Cheers,
Sarah