100 UMPSA volunteers help make Plogging@Pantai Tanjung Gosong a success

PEKAN, 23 July 2025 – Nearly 100 volunteers from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA), Pos Malaysia Berhad Pahang, SWCorp, and Alam Flora came together to make the Plogging@Pantai Tanjung Gosong Programme a resounding success.

According to Director of UMPSA’s Sustainable Development Centre (SDC), Dr. Suhaidah Hussain, this event marks the second plogging series for the year, with the third series scheduled for October.

“This programme not only successfully instils a sense of responsibility towards environmental protection, but also serves as a strategic collaboration platform between universities, government agencies, and industry,” she said.

Dr. Suhaidah also shared the outcomes of the clean-up effort, which resulted in a total of 333.2 kilograms of waste being collected along a stretch of less than 500 meters of coastline.

“Of the total, the highest volume of waste collected was plastic/rigid materials (124 kg), followed by plastic/foam (27.6 kg), garden waste (16.5 kg), rubber waste (12 kg), bottle waste (10 kg), and plastic/rigid packaging (14.3 kg),” she explained.

The data collected from the clean-up will be used for waste audits and to analyse littering trends, which will help in developing targeted waste reduction strategies for the beach.

Dr. Suhaidah also reminded beachgoers to act responsibly by disposing of rubbish in designated bins or taking their waste home if no trash bins are available at the site.

Meanwhile, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Manager of Pos Malaysia Pahang, Mohd Najmi Mohammed expressed his appreciation to UMPSA for being a strategic partner in supporting the programme.

“We are fully committed and ready to collaborate with UMPSA on future initiatives,” he said.

One of the volunteers, Siti Nurfatin Abd Razak, who is also an Executive from UMPSA’s Integrity and Compliance Unit, shared her personal experience participating in the programme.

“This was my first time joining a plogging activity, and it truly opened my eyes to the importance of environmental cleanliness. 

“I believe this programme also has great potential to promote Tanjung Gosong Beach as an ecotourism destination, especially among staff who are not originally from Pahang,” she said. 

Also present during the programme was Enforcement Assistant from SWCorp, Mohamed Azwan Mohamed Yusof who supported the event on behalf of the enforcement team.

By: Nor Salwana Mohammad Idris, Sustainable Development Centre (SDC)
Translation by: Aminatul Nor Mohamed Said, UMPSA Career Centre (UMPSACC)