Transforming 1000 Lives through Waste

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day is celebrated to raise awareness on environmental issues. With the looming threat of climate change and global warming, we must do all we can the best we can.

Our waste management programme was established to manage and reduce threats to the ocean in an effort to protect our Earth. With the local community now actively participating, the villagers see an improvement in their islands' cleanliness.

Not only do they tackle the issue of waste on their island, but the local community is also educated on recycling. Recyclables are sorted and separated from normal waste before being sent out to the island.

Some recyclables are upcycled into fridge magnets to be sold as souvenirs and also as an educational component. Children also take part in learning more about recycling.

We only have one Earth. When one part of the Earth is affected, the other will feel it too. Therefore, wherever you are, your support will come back full circle.

We are thankful for your support and hope we can continue working together to tackle the waste issue.

Our team over in Mantanani Island has been ramping up the effort to strengthen awareness for waste management. We conducted a Waste Management Awareness Workshop which was attended by both adults and children on the island. 

The recipients of the 'Excellent Homes Certificate' were all smiles as their effort to keep up with the programme are celebrated. Without their continuous efforts to keep up with the programme, the programme would not have been a successful one.

On Global Recycling Day on the 18th of March, we also held a plastic magnet demonstration for the children of Mantanani. This is done to educate the children on upcycling plastic waste and to spark an interest in recycling.

We look forward to running more programmes to further strengthen the awareness of waste management and keep Mantanani Island clear of waste.

We are grateful for your continuous support of the programme and the efforts of Mantanani Island's residents.

The year 2022 has been an eventful year as everyone works to recover from the pandemic in every aspect. A new year has come and it is now time to reflect on the past year.

In 2022, we have collected 51408.1kg of food waste, 1673.2kg of plastic bottles, 2642.42kg of aluminum/metal can and glass, 2958kg of general trash/others, and 4109.4kg of plastic trash.

From the 2022 data collection, 82.6% of waste collected is food waste. Through this effort, we can prevent huge nutrient pollutants from coral reefs in Mantanani.

Nutrient and runoff from the island can severely damage our coral reefs by reducing their resilience against warming seas and ocean acidification which lead to the degradation of coral reefs.

Although plastic waste and plastic bottles comprise only 9.3% of waste collected, this waste is visible and stays much longer in our environment compared to organic materials such as food waste. Therefore, this waste management has been able to prevent such waste from ending up in our environment, particularly our ocean. This has also contributed to the cleanliness of the island according to the progress survey conducted in December 2022. 

A total of 72,178 bottles, mainly PET, were successfully recovered from our plastic recycling program.

Despite facing challenges like having their house destroyed by the storm, the residents still ensure that they participate in the waste management programme. Our data shows that at least 69-70 houses are ranked as “Excellent”, 35-36 houses ranked as “Good”.

Houses that ranked Excellent will be issued a certificate of appreciation at the end of the year to motivate them to continue the performance as well as to encourage other households to do better for next year.

Our Progress Survey also shows that 25.8% of respondents agreed that the villages are getting cleaner while another 72.2% said that the cleanliness was better now.

We hope to continue this programme with the support of the residents and generous funders such as yourself. It truly takes a village! 

Welcome to 2023! We hope the new year has been going well for you.

For our friends in Mantanani Island, however, the end of last year left them little to be happy for in the new year. For 21 households, their lives were uprooted as their houses were destroyed by storms that hit the island multiple times. 

They were spared when the storm first hit early in the year, however, were not so lucky towards the end of the year. The houses on the coast suffered largely from the erosion of the coastline that is a direct effect of climate change. The islanders tried to salvage the situation by building a concrete wall along the coastlines but to no avail. The strong storms were the final nail in the coffin that led to the total destruction of their homes.

Having lost the roof over their heads, where can they stay now? The sites which used to be their homes are no longer safe even if they want to rebuild their house. These families are now advised to relocate inland - away from the coastlines for safety.

Some families have their lands belonging to their family for them to build on but some families aren't as fortunate. They would have to bear the cost of both building a new house and buying a land to build a house on.

This is where we implore your generosity, dear funders. The cost of one house is about $11,000 - a large amount to be borne alone by a family that was hit by calamity albeit being the most pressing issue to address.

Every dollar counts. Please help these families to rebuild their home.

We have a little recycling centre on Mantanani Island, Sabah, called the Mantanani Plastic Recycling Centre (MPRC). All the collected waste will be sorted at the MPRC either to be sent to the landfill or recycled.

Aligning with our goal to make it sustainable, we embarked on a solar installation project for the MPRC. In August 2022, the solar system was installed. The solar system covers Reef Check Malaysia's building areas, i.e. the recycling centre and the Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) processing factory. However, it was not enough to power all of the machines. It was only sufficient to power fans, light bulbs, field offices, and several machines in the VCO building.

Recently, the solar system was upgraded, and it can now also power the Baler machine and the extruder machine used for recycling. This means that the MPRC is fully solar-powered!

Together, we can achieve great things. We thank you for being on this journey with us. Step by step, we will get far. Your kindness and continuous support will light the way.