Transforming 1000 Lives through Waste

Plastic waste is a nagging problem on Mantanani Island and every year we collected an average of 22 tonnes of plastic waste. In our bid to reduce plastic waste on Mantanai Island, Reef Check Malaysia is working together with Mantanani communities to turn some of these plastic wastes into handicrafts, while the rest are being recycled.

Mantanani locals were given workshops and taught how to turn used plastic bottle caps into fridge magnets handicrafts. What is more encouraging is the locals taught themselves how to turn used single-use-plastic into wallets and bracelets.

These handicrafts are gaining popularity and they are now being sold as souvenirs to tourists who visit Mantanani and even to buyers from around Malaysia.

Thank you for your donations. Without your support and generosity, this effort would not have been possible.

Our team on Mantanani Island, Sabah started the new year strong and proud. On 5 January 2021, they alongside the local members sent 753kg worth of plastic bottles out to the recycling facility on mainland, Kota Kinabalu.

The great news is that the local community is doing an amazing job in recycling their waste and we got RM150.60 in revenue from the recyclables this trip.

The not-so-great news is that land transportation cost RM120, boat transportation and labour cost us another RM1000.

This has been going on every 3-4 months since 2018 when the plastic bottles and waste get sent out to mainland. In 2020 itself, a total of 66,337 plastic bottles and 17,737kg worth of trash have been collected. The Waste Management Improvement Program we have in Mantanani has implemented a proper waste management system on a few villages with a total population of almost 1,000. Ultimately, we will continue leading and hope to inspire the community members in taking on this initiative themselves.

As you can see, currently there is no feasible and affordable way for the communuity members to do so, especially when it comes to waste transportation. The work has been challenging, but we have continued to make progress thanks to your support.

Your continued support has and will enable us to continue working with the community on the Waste Management Improvement Program and bring real change and solutions to the community on Mantanani Island.