Pulau Besar Turns Trash Into Hope

 

The red plastic pirouettes in the wind, eluding desperate hands that reach to catch it before it drifts too far out to sea. But it’s too late. A sudden gust lifts the bag high, sending it gliding gracefully away from the jetty before it comes to rest upon the island’s turquoise waters.

While plastic bags floating in the sea are always an unwelcome sight, they feel especially out of place here at Pulau Besar — also known as Pulau Babi Besar.  The waters are part of the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park and littering, especially anything plastic with its centuries-long shelf life, is prohibited. The plastic bag is now marine debris, destined to drift under the surface where it may entangle wildlife like turtles and the dugong, causing them to drown or starve, or poisoning them.

Although the marine park looks pristine at first glance, conservationists say it was only because of regular clean-up efforts. The waste and marine debris problem in the waters surrounding Malaysia is severe, according to experts.

 “Malaysia receives a lot of marine debris, both from within the country and from other nations carried in by the tides,” said Noor Azariyah “Naja” Mohtar, executive director of Tengah Island Conservation (TIC).

Beyond beach and marine clean-ups, her group also helps islanders manage their waste in sustainable ways. The group has set up Rumah Eko, a hub equipped with a composter for food waste, machines for upcycling glass and plastic, a garden for growing plants for replanting, and a rainwater harvesting system — all while collecting recyclables for proper recycling.

So far, islanders and resorts on the island have cooperated, sending their food waste and  recyclables.

Yet, islanders and tourists alike - mainly from the mainland, attracted by the island’s bright sun, frothy surf, white sands and affordable natural beauty – still struggle to let go of their dependence on plastic and other conveniences.

Tourists bring in plastic bags and bottles, eat on single-use disposable plates and drink from disposable cups, while islanders sell sunscreen, food and beverages encased in plastic and put them in single-use plastic containers.

 According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), most of the waste generated on islands comes from tourism-related activities — and about 70 per cent of it is plastic.

Inevitably, some of that waste finds its way into the marine park, threatening the very beauty that draws tourists here in the first place. In the end, it boils down to one question: how do you change people’s behaviour?

 

Malaysia boasts one of the richest levels of marine biodiversity in the world, thanks to its location within the Coral Triangle — a global epicentre of marine life often described as the ‘Amazon of the Seas.’ This region encompasses the waters around Sabah and Sarawak, and parts of Peninsular Malaysia, and is recognised for having the highest diversity of corals and reef fish in the world.

The Mersing islands, to which Pulau Besar belongs, are home to thriving mangroves and seagrass meadows. These waters serve as feeding grounds for dugongs and two of the world’s seven sea turtle species.

Despite its rich biodiversity, Malaysia is also among the world’s top contributors to ocean plastic pollution. Part of the problem, environmentalists say, stems from trash colonialism — the practice of developed nations exporting their solid waste to less developed countries like Malaysia for recycling. What isn’t recycled often ends up in landfills or is dumped illegally. Yet, much of the blame lies closer to home, driven by rapid urbanisation and a persistent culture of littering.

In response, the government has introduced the National Marine Debris Policy and Action Plan 2021-2030 and the Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018–2030. These policies aim for a systemic change by implementing a phased ban on single-use plastics, strengthening border controls against illegal waste imports, and increasing education and awareness is part of the policies.

The policies also include an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, making producers financially accountable for their waste even after their products have been sold. It will likely come into effect next year, but on a voluntary basis first before becoming mandatory by 2030. In the meantime, much of the waste management is done by the government, non-governmental organisations like TIC and volunteers.

 Experts say the National Marine Debris policy is sufficient on paper, but turning it into reality — particularly in terms of enforcement and public awareness — remains a challenge.

Waste and environmental management consultant Dr. S. Sri Umeswara told Bernama that some tour boat operators, such as those in Terengganu, Tioman, and Penang, actively work to keep the environment clean by educating passengers about conservation and providing bins for tourist trash.

He added the worst offenders he’s seen were Malaysian tourists.

 “Foreign tourists don’t litter, yeah; they follow the rules. But Malaysian tourists are the ones who litter a lot. I’ve even seen children doing it while their parents say nothing, which is quite sad,” he said.

Conservationists and islanders were not surprised by this.

“The way we travel is different from foreigners,” said ‘Tuk’ Kelana bin Ali Kahar, the headman of Kampung Busong, Pulau Besar.

“When foreigners travel, they want to truly explore a place. It’s not the same with us — our people go to viral spots, take a few photos, and head home. As long as they can post it on Instagram, they’re happy,” he said.

 

Throughout the inhabited areas of the island — including resorts, residences, and eateries lining its roughly 1.2km walking path-cum-boardwalk — recycling and trash bins are readily available. At the main jetty, about a 30-minute boat ride from Mersing, signboards greet visitors with reminders of what to do and what not to do on the island and in the surrounding marine park.

At Rumah Eko, situated midway along the southern part of the island, TIC staff and volunteers work tirelessly to educate tourists about the marine park’s biodiversity and the importance of keeping both the island and its waters clean. They conduct tours showcasing the NGO’s various sustainable initiatives aimed at conserving the environment and preserving the island’s unique culture.

 They hope these experiences will instil behavioural changes that visitors can take home and share with their friends and family.

“Most of our visitors are local,” said Nurul Aida Amanina Mohd Roslan, project manager at TIC’s Besar Bersih Project that runs Rumah Eko. Domestic and foreign tourists visit the island in roughly equal numbers.

TIC is also encouraging locals to embrace the idea that traditional ways are often the best ways. One initiative focuses on preserving island culture — helping residents take pride in their heritage and return to using natural island materials in daily life. For example, they promote wrapping food in sea almond leaves (daun ketapang) instead of relying on single-use plastics.

One exception, however, is the eating of turtle eggs. 

Nurul Aida said changing this tradition has been slow.

“So that is still an ongoing issue, requiring us to explain that we cannot eat turtle eggs. Yet it remains a cultural dish for them,” she said, adding that locals usually consume it for their own needs rather than for sale.

One islander who has stopped eating turtle eggs is 64-year old Saudah Rastam. She told Bernama that she no longer eats the eggs after seeing one turtle come up to the beach to nest a long time ago. 

“Look at that poor mother. She looks so sad watching her child being eaten. All sorts of thoughts crossed my mind,” she said, slightly sheepishly.

Empathy and pride in their heritage can only go so far, especially if there is money to be made. Realising that poaching eggs can be a lucrative endeavour, TIC and many other NGOs offer buy-back schemes to egg-collectors, and use the eggs for hatching. 

Although the black market pays more, conservationists hope that ties to the islands will convince locals to choose conservation over bigger profits.

The key comes down to giving islanders a stake in the business, so to speak, aligning their interests with keeping their environment clean, healthy and sustainable.

 “One of the key priorities for us at UNDP is not just sustainability itself, but understanding what makes it work within the Malaysian context,” said Edward Vyrkic, UNDP Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. 

 “For example, ensuring that profits and dividends flow back to local communities. It’s also about helping these communities become self-sustaining and understand their responsibility to maintain, for instance, a healthy environment,” he added.

 

One of the biggest marine debris problems affecting the islands and the marine park — and one that islanders and tourists have little to do with — is ghost nets.Ghost nets, usually made of durable plastic materials like nylon, are abandoned fishing nets. Although the Sultan Iskandar marine park prohibits commercial fishing in their waters, the currents and tide bring ghost nets from other waters to the Pulau Besar cluster of seven islands often.

NGOs, volunteers and activists perform beach clean-up, but it is an ongoing problem, said Dr. S Sri Umeswara, who is also the delegate to UN Environmental Programme representing the Malaysian recycling industry.

 “The fishermen go out to sea, set up their nets, and then just leave them there,” he said. “No one takes responsibility for retrieving them, and there’s no enforcement in place. Many of these discarded fishing nets are simply left drifting, trapping fish, turtles, and all kinds of marine species,” he said.

Mersing Polytechnic electrical engineer Norazida Ali has a solution for it. Using a grant from UNDP, she, her colleagues and students from the electrical engineering department made a machine that turns the abandoned fishing nets into filaments to be used in 3-D printing.

She hopes the machine will provide income to the locals and help fund sustainable tourism and education efforts.

 “Some of the filaments can be used to produce new products from the waste materials, which they can then sell without any cost. They don’t have to spend money to buy the filament, yet they can sell the items to tourists visiting the island. So, the plan is basically to circulate it within the island’s economy,” she told Bernama via Google Meet.

So far, her team and TIC are still experimenting with the size of the filament. Other than that, TIC makes keychains in the shape of marine animals from dyed plastic waste and tiny bottles filled with colourful crushed glass to sell as souvenirs.

 With all these efforts to revitalise and keep Pulau Besar clean, Tuk Kelana remains hopeful that the island will thrive and its legacy endure — even if it isn’t his own children who carry the torch.

 “That’s just how it is. If your own child isn’t interested, it’s okay. There are others who are,” he said.