Growing numbers of volunteers tackle trash on Singapore’s beaches
Volunteer participation in beach clean-ups has risen by up to 50 per cent over the past year, with organisers attributing the growth to increasing environmental awareness, especially among younger Singaporeans.
Volunteers take part in a beach clean-up activity.
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SINGAPORE: More people are heading to the beach – not just for recreation, but also to help clean up Singapore’s coastline.
Organisers of beach clean-up initiatives say volunteer participation has increased by as much as 50 per cent over the past year, reflecting growing public interest in environmental conservation.
Participants said they are driven by a desire to give back to the community and make a positive impact on the environment.
A recent two-hour clean-up session at East Coast Park saw 65 volunteers collect about 320kg of rubbish, filling more than 80 bags.
SEASONAL SURGE IN MARINE LITTER
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Mr Yasser Amin, CEO of environmental organisation Stridy, said the amount of marine litter found on Singapore’s beaches fluctuates throughout the year according to seasonal weather patterns.
“June, July, August and September – that’s usually when the trash load goes up. (In) December, January and February, we hardly see anything on the beaches,” he said.
“So, (it’s largely) to do with the regional wind direction.”
According to the 2024 Global Ocean Trash Index, the five most commonly collected items during coastal clean-ups in Singapore are: foam food containers, plastic bags, plastic beverage bottles, cigarette butts and grocery bags.
While determining the source of marine litter can be difficult, experts say certain clues help identify where the rubbish may have come from.
Dr Maxine Mowe, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s biological sciences department, said labels and packaging often reveal useful information.
“If we see a can that is locally produced, we can assume that it came from a beach-goer,” she said.
“But if we see food packets that are not produced in Singapore, (or) brands that are not even found here, (or) they look very weathered, these (are ways) to tell that they’ve been floating in from overseas.”
She added that debris that has spent a long time at sea often shows signs of deterioration due to exposure to ocean conditions, as well as breakage and damage caused by marine animals.
CLEAN UP & PUBLIC EDUCATION
While preventing marine litter from reaching Singapore’s shores remains a challenge, experts believe public education plays a critical role.
Beyond removing waste, clean-up activities help participants understand how litter discarded in urban areas can eventually travel through drains and waterways before ending up in the ocean.
Organisers have also observed growing participation among younger Singaporeans, with some groups combining clean-up activities with exercise and social gatherings.
EcoMiles, a youth-led initiative which meets every Sunday at East Coast Park to exercise and pick up trash, said it sees an increasing number of participants, including returning members.
“(People) came, thinking it’ll be a one-time thing, but then they really enjoyed it. So they invited their friends as well, and they come again and again,” co-founders Sam Chang and Michael Chu said.
The group noted that it has collected about 560kg of waste so far.
Another community group, One Planet, said average attendees at each of its clean-up session rose from eight in 2025 to 13 this year.
THREAT TO MARINE LIFE
The impact of litter extends far beyond Singapore’s shores.
The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that between 19 million and 23 million tonnes of plastic waste enter aquatic ecosystems each year, polluting rivers, lakes and oceans. That is equivalent to around 2,000 garbage trucks dumping plastic into waterways every day.
Without significant intervention, the volume of plastic entering aquatic ecosystems is expected to nearly triple by 2040.
Many of these plastics eventually break down into microplastics, which enter the food chain and affect organisms from plankton to whales and eventually, humans.
Sea turtles, for example, often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their natural food sources, said Dr Mowe.
“(Consuming plastic bags) gives them a false sense of satiation. They feel full but they’re not getting any nutrients from the plastic,” she said. “This (affects) all animals – fish, invertebrates and so on. Trash (inadvertently) gets eaten by a lot of animals in the sea.”
Marine animals can also die after ingesting litter. Sharp plastic fragments can puncture internal organs, while plastic bags can cause intestinal blockages that prevent them from feeding, ultimately leading to starvation.
The importance of protecting marine ecosystems extends beyond individual species, said marine biologist Dr Sylvia Earle.
“The ocean is 97 per cent of the biosphere where life exists. This is not just rocks and water. This is a living system. We need the planet alive, functioning in our favour,” she said.
She stressed that human activities are increasingly altering the ocean’s ability to sustain life, underscoring the need for stronger conservation efforts and public action.
Locally, organisers are calling for stronger enforcement against littering, particularly during late-night hours when offences may go unnoticed.
They are also encouraging more Singaporeans to participate in clean-up efforts, not only along the nation’s coastlines but within neighbourhoods and heartland communities, in the hope of tackling litter before it reaches the ocean.
Source: CNA/dn(mp)
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