Johor ropes in 1,451 volunteers on World Cleanup Day

JOHOR BAHRU - A total of 1,451 Hero Cleanup volunteers from Johor are participating in the nine-day 2023 World Cleanup Day (WCD) state-level programme, which began yesterday.

Johor SWCorp director Cairul Hisham Jalaluddin said the volunteers from 58 agencies, including local authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are placed at 58 selected locations in Johor.

"Actually, compared to 30 agencies involved last year, the number of agencies this year increased by more than 50 per cent, which is quite an encouraging response.

"This is also in line with the Johor Bersih initiative of Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz where every Sunday, a cleanup is carried out at any location in the state,” he said in Kampung Pasir Gudang Baru here today, where the state’s opening ceremony of WCD 2023 was officiated by assistant secretary of the Local Government division, Ahmad Azhar Ab. Hamid.

"We hope every year more and more volunteers will come forward to do the cleaning in their own residential areas or public places,” said Cairul Hisham.

"In 2021, 10,000 volunteers were registered nationwide, last year it was 13,000.

"All garbage collected will be recorded and audited, we then separate the 18 types of waste and sell where possible to generate income,” he said.

According to him, the cleanliness volunteers can have a high impact in changing the minds of the community to become more responsible and caring and practise ethical behaviour for a cleaner environment. - BERNAMA