Interactive Map Brings Insight into Malaysia’s Coral Reef Health

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 AUGUST 2026 – 34 volunteers from GE Aerospace removed 142 kg of trash from Pantai Bagan Lalang in conjunction with this year’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) day.  

This is part of GE Aerospace’s philanthropic efforts to combat marine debris both through financial contribution and employee engagement. 

Marine debris remains a persistent threat to our ocean and marine ecosystems.  Recently, the issue of marine debris affecting popular islands has received increasing attention on social media, highlighting its adverse effects on tourism and local communities. 

The ICC is held annually around the world and coordinated locally by Reef Check Malaysia. Every year, thousands of volunteers across Malaysia take part in beach cleanups as part of ICC. 

“Marine debris is a serious issue threatening our ocean. While beach cleanups is not the long-term solution, they play an important role in removing debris that are already in the environment. They also help to create awareness and allow participants to see the impact of marine debris firsthand,” says Theresa Ng, Reef Check Malaysia’s Chief Operating Officer.

The volunteers cleaned up 142 kg of trash during the beach cleanup 

During the cleanup at Pantai Bagan Lalang, the volunteers collected a wide range of marine debris, including cigarette butts, plastics or foam pieces and plastic beverage bottles. 

Among the items collected, the majority found were 760 pieces cigarette butts, 255 pieces of plastic or foam pieces and 64 plastic beverage bottles, highlighting the diverse range of waste that can be found at Malaysia’s coastlines. 

“GE Aerospace is committed to supporting the communities where we live and work through meaningful local partnerships and employee engagement. Through our partnership with Reef Check Malaysia, we are able to contribute both funding and volunteer support to help address marine debris and protect Malaysia’s marine ecosystems. We are proud to see our employees come together in support of this important effort,” said Kong Hon Leong, Managing Director and Executive Plant Leader, GE Aerospace Engine Services Malaysia. 

The partnership with GE Aerospace will support Reef Check Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to tackle marine debris through advocacy, awareness programmes and community-based conservation initiatives. 

In 2025, over 8,000 volunteers collectively collected more than 28,000 kg of trash during ICC. For this year’s upcoming ICC in September, Reef Check Malaysia call on everyone to participate, whether by joining open beach cleanups all over Malaysia or by joining their Kod Blue event happening in Tioman on 19 September 2026.   

For more information on Reef Check Malaysia or on how to join the beach cleanups, you may visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram or contact them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.   

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KUALA LUMPUR, 18 OCTOBER 2024 – 8,569 volunteers from all around Malaysia collected 41,015kg of trash during the annual International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) event in September 2024.

Among 388,730 items collected, the most common item found was plastic bottles at 50,785 bottles. The second and third most common items were cigarette butts at 39,584 pieces and plastic/foam pieces at 38,801 pieces.

Reef Check Malaysia (RCM) coordinates the nationwide ICC in Malaysia every year since 2018. Organizations, groups and individuals collect data during the cleanup and key in data into the Clean Swell app to contribute to the global database of cleanups by Ocean Conservancy.

Tengku Zatashah, Princess Beach Cleanup in action

Y.A.M Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, the princess of Selangor, who is also fondly known as ‘Princess Beach Cleanup’, also participated in this year’s ICC. “The International Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.

Proud volunteers of Hapag-Lloyd Business Services Malaysia that cleaned up Pantai Batu 23

This year’s ICC was supported by Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia and KPMG Malaysia. Hapag-Llyod Business Services Malaysia’s volunteers cleaned Pantai Batu 23 for ICC and collected 54.75 kg of trash. KPMG Malaysia chose to clean Pantai Remis, Kuala Selangor and collected 126.61kg of trash.

Coastal Cleanup is an event I look forward to every year since 2017. Participating in beach cleanups allows us to see the problem firsthand and take action to address it. I encourage everyone to do their part in keeping our oceans clean.” commented Tengku Zatashah who joined the ICC at Pantai Morib Baharu in Selangor this year.

KPMG volunteers cleared 126.61kg of trash from Pantai Remis

Reef Check Malaysia also held their Kod Blue: Laut Needs You event as part of the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Volunteers for Kod Blue 2024 which happened on 7 September at Kampung Air Batang, Tioman Island, collected 757.7kg of trash from the beach cleanup and 50.8kg of trash from the underwater cleanup. The underwater cleanup team also removed 62 coral predators, the Crown-of-Thorns starfish (COT).

All Kod Blue 2024 volunteers before the cleanups

“The objective of the event is to spread awareness about the issue of marine debris while bringing together the general public and the local community of Tioman Island,” said Theresa Ng, Chief Operating Officer of Reef Check Malaysia. “Kod Blue is an homage to the term used to mean ’emergency’ in the medical field, and ‘blue’ is also a nod to the ocean.”

The second event in the series featured a conservation talk by Reef Check Malaysia’s Chief Programmes Officer, Alvin Chelliah, a special ‘Action Camera Underwater Videography’ workshop by Reef Check Malaysia’s ambassador, Baki Zainal, a beach and underwater cleanup, a ‘Pasar Malam Mesra Alam’ offering local delicacies from the Tioman Island community, a glass crusher and coral block workshop, and a movie night.

Volunteers segregated trash according to types

The event was supported by sponsors including Migalabs, Diamond & Platinum, REEF, Bose, Sol Sauce Sunscreen, Akkord Scents, Nautika Scuba Centre, B&J Diving Centre, Small Towns Malaysia, Ryan’s Special Needs Care Centre, Garmin Malaysia, Cowa, MobyTek, and Nazri’s Place.

“We are grateful for our sponsors for their generous sponsorship and support for Kod Blue 2024.” commented Theresa.

“We also would like to thank our ambassadors, Sharifah Sofia and Baki Zainal, all of our volunteers including representatives from Tioman Development Authority, Department of Fisheries (DOF), Alam Flora, SWCORP ROMPIN, PERHILITAN Department, Tioman Police, SMK Tekek (Nature Lovers Club), and Malaysia Civil Defence Force for participating in our cleanup effort.” added Theresa.

A TMCG member who supported our cleanup weighed all trash collected

Every year, millions of tons of trash—including an estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic waste—flows into the ocean, impacting more than 800 marine species and even entering the food chain.

“When I first heard about Kod Blue 2024, I was excited, and I think it is a good chance to be part of conservation work with experts in the field. It was not easy to make time for this event, but I am very happy I did. I get to meet like-minded people, and I enjoy every second of the activities. I have a lot of takeaways from this event” commented Yvonne Jong, one of the underwater participants of Kod Blue 2024.

For more information on Reef Check Malaysia, you may visit them on their website, Facebook and Instagram or contact them at hello@reefcheck.org.my.

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