By Vincent D’Silva

JOHOR BAHRU: Armed with plastic bags, thick work gloves, litter pickers and a shared determination to protect the environment, members of four Rotary clubs came together at Stulang Laut for a beach clean-up that carried a message beyond simply removing rubbish.

Held in conjunction with World Clean Up Day 2026, the initiative on Sept 20 also incorporated a dengue prevention campaign, highlighting the link between cleaner surroundings and healthier communities.

The participating clubs were the Rotary Club of Kulai, Rotary Club of Puteri Lagoon, Rotary Club of Johor Centennial, Rotaract Club of Johor Bahru, Rotary Club of Johor Bahru, Rotary Club of Tebrau, Rotary Club of Pasir Gudang, Rotary Club of Senai and Rotary Club of Raffles City.

For about one-and-a-half hours, some 90 volunteers combed the Stulang Laut shoreline, picking up discarded waste and clearing areas where rubbish and stagnant water could potentially create breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

For many of those taking part, the morning was more than a routine environmental exercise. It was a reminder that keeping a community clean begins with individuals being willing to bend down, pick up what others have left behind and take responsibility for shared spaces.

Chair for Dengue Awareness & Prevention Committee Lim Chin Leong said the programme marked the first time the four Rotary clubs had joined forces for a beach-cleaning initiative.

“This may seem like a simple clean-up, but when four Rotary clubs come together with one purpose, the impact becomes much greater,” Lim said.

“We want Stulang Laut to be cleaner, but at the same time, we also want people to understand that rubbish left unattended can collect water and become potential mosquito-breeding sites.

“Dengue prevention is not only the responsibility of the authorities. Every one of us has a role to play by keeping our surroundings clean and making sure there are no places where mosquitoes can breed.”

Lim said the collaboration also reflected the strength of Rotary’s spirit of service, where members from different clubs could work side by side for a common community cause.

“Today, we are not here as members of four separate clubs. We are here as one team serving the community,” Lim said.

The volunteers moved along the beachfront collecting plastic waste, food wrappers, bottles and other discarded items, while paying attention to areas where debris could trap rainwater.

The programme, held from 7.30am to 9am, reflected Rotary’s environmental focus under its commitment to Protecting the Environment, while extending that concern to public health through dengue awareness.

Malaysia is listed on the campaign poster among the leading waste contributors in Southeast Asia, underscoring the wider challenge posed by waste generation and improper disposal.

But at Stulang Laut, the message was brought down to a very human scale — one shoreline, one discarded bottle and one plastic bag at a time.

Lim said programmes such as these were also intended to encourage the public to think more carefully about how everyday actions affect the environment.

“A clean beach does not remain clean simply because we organise a clean-up once a year,” Lim said.

“It remains clean when people stop littering, dispose of their waste properly and realise that protecting the environment begins with personal responsibility.”

The collaboration also provided an opportunity for Rotarians and Rotaractors to strengthen ties while working outside the usual meeting rooms and formal programmes.

By the end of the clean-up, the volunteers may have left with tired hands and soiled gloves, but the stretch of Stulang Laut they had worked on was visibly cleaner.

More importantly, the morning carried a simple message summed up by the campaign’s theme: “Together we don’t just clean our world, we create a lasting impact.”

Meanwhile Rotary wish to create awareness among the general public to spend at least 15 minutes each week to check and eliminate potential Aedes breeding sites in and around their homes.