KUCHING: The Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Kuching and UCSI University Sarawak Campus recently carried out a cleanup of Pasir Pandak Beach. UCSI University in a statement said its students, RCE Kuching Youth Ambassadors and staff from the Student Affairs and Alumni Department took part in the event. The event was initiated by Reef Check Malaysia, an organisation committed to protecting and conserving the coral reefs of Malaysia, and it is a nationwide programme organised to support the International Coastal Cleanu p (ICC) 2023 Day. “Besides cleaning along the Pasir Pandak Beach, which is a popular tourist spot in Kuching, the objectives of the event were to engage youth in realising the seriousness of pollution of both rivers and oceans. T h e types of trash collected were recorded for coastal conversation initiatives,” it said. The event also served to increase civic awareness amongst UCSI students and Youth Ambassadors on the importance of clean coasts to the entire marine ecosystem, linking it to RCE Kuching’s River for Everybody’ programme. The volunteers, UCSI said, collected a whopping 862kg of trash along the two kilometres of the beach. “All 2,446 items of trash were recorded using the Clean Swell app which can be downloaded via Google Play App Store. “From the trash data records, to the surprise of many volunteers, there were 384 plastic bottles collected that morning. Apart from the plastic bottles, there were a lot of cigarette butts, plastic bottle caps, plastic bags, straws, aluminum cans, gloves and masks and even food wrappers found around the area. “This has educated the volunteers and raised awareness amongst volunteers about trash issues at the beach and hopefully will motivate more actions from the public and other agencies to protect our beaches,” it said. The statement also said Kampung Pasir Pandak village chief Nazeri Idi praised the volunteers for their commitment andcontinuous effortsto educate society to be more responsible global citizens. “The organisers were pleased with the turnout of youth volunteers who participated in this beach clean-up event. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world,” said UCSI. Students of UCSI University Sarawak Campus are also part of RCE Kuching Youth Ambassadors which plays key role to drive positive changes in the community. They are actively planning and coordinating events, and also recruiting youths to promote Education for Sustaina