Pollution of our oceans, seas and rivers with waste items has been a serious problem for some time and keeps growing. This problem is clearly a very serious environmental issue that needs to be addressed, if not eliminated altogether.
Communities along coastal areas are those most affected by the waste which get washed up from the sea, having been carried by currents from other areas.
Kampung Sim Sim in Sandakan, on the eastern side of Sabah, is one such coastal village that has been facing this problem for years. Fortunately, some organisations are providing assistance in various ways.
This year, Sekolah Menengah Sung Siew Sandakan also became involved in the effort at the village which has been in existence for 145 years. The school, one of the 15 participants in the 2024 Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) program, chose the problem of rubbish washing up for its project and has been collaborating with Future Alam Borneo, an NGO (non-governmental organisation) based in Sandakan. Their project also has the support of Sandakan Member of Parliament, Vivian Wong Sir Yee.
![Toyota Eco Youth workshop [2019]](https://www.motaauto.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Toyota-Eco-Youth-workshop-2019.jpg)
This is a process that is used by employees of Toyota Motor Corporation and UMW Toyota Motor, its joint-venture affiliate in Malaysia, to solve various types of problems, including those involving the environment.
Learning PSM gave the students guidance on critical thinking and problem-solving skills which they have used for their chosen project which has, of course, to be related to the environment and within their community.
They have until October this year to complete their project and before they make their presentation to a panel of judges, they must also validate the effectiveness of the project. In the case of SM Sung Siew Sandakan, they chose Kampung Sim Sim which is 3 kms away from Sandakan.
The approach they are taking to addressing the problem of waste washing up at the village is to create a barrier in the water to gather the floating waste. The barrier is made using discarded plastic bottles and used nets. There is no shortage of the plastic bottles as thousands are thrown away daily, so waste is being used to trap waste!
To date, the team has helped in making the traps and also organised the villagers to carry out systematic collection of waste and ensuring it is disposed properly. Although it is very hard to stop the waste from washing in, at least the beaches and village areas will be free of rubbish, improving the health and quality of life for the residents.
Over the 5-month period, the teams are also required to publicise their project and post updates via social media, providing them with an experience at communication with the public on environmental issues.
About Toyota Eco Youth
Since 2001, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has run TEY as an environment education programme which forms important part of its Corporate Social Responsibility activities. The national-level programme has been conducted in partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE).
The TEY programme has been one of the longest running environmental programmes of its type involving secondary school students nationwide. It has been run annually without fail (even during the COVID-19 pandemic years) with more than RM15 million spent to date.
More than 300,000 students from 521 schools have participated in TEY, formulating numerous projects relating to environmental issues affecting their surrounding communities.
For the 23rd edition this year, there are prizes totalling up to RM80,000 for the best projects which propose innovative solutions. Recognising the role of teachers in providing guidance and support for each school’s team, there is also a prize for the Most Supportive Teacher.