Marine Debris on Selected Malaysian Beaches: Impacts of Human Ignorance

Solid wastes are commonly found on Malaysian beaches as any other parts of the world. Generally known as beach debris, this particular type of waste is treated similar to other municipal waste in Malaysia where 95% of it will be disposed off into landfills. Studies were conducted on four beaches in Peninsular Malaysia namely Teluk Kemang, Pasir Panjang, Batu Burok, and Seberang Takir. The objective of the study is to estimate the composition and abundance of debris on the selected beaches. It is also aimed to investigate the perceptions of beach users on various issues of marine debris management, and to determine the correlations. This study involved field investigation namely waste separation and composition studies and public surveys. The data obtained were analyzed statistically to derive the correlations. For the field investigation, debris collected from 60 m x total width area on each beach were weighed and counted after separation into 11 predetermined type of wastes. Plastic was the most abundant type of debris found on all beaches with the percentage ranging at 36 – 94%. These included plastic bags and wrappers, hard plastics, polystyrene and abandoned fishing nets. The density of debris on Malaysian beaches were found to be comparable to other beaches worldwide in the range of 0.142 – 0.884 items/ m or 1.119 – 32.351 g/ m. The public survey conducted indicated the reluctance of the beach user to assist in beach cleaning when they are vacationing on the beach. Additionally, beach users are not willing to pay for beach management services namely waste cleaning activities, even though beach cleanliness is one the factor that influenced their decision on which beach to visit. Therefore it can be concluded that the abundance of marine debris on Malaysian beaches would require local municipalities to be more responsive since there is a lack of public participation in waste management. Thus, this calls for the urgent need to educate public on the importance of proper management of marine debris on Malaysian beaches.