INTERVIEW
【Why do you pick up trash? Vol.6】
in MALAYSIA
The 13th country to host the SPOGOMI World Cup Qualifying Tournament was Malaysia, a famous tourist destination, and the event was held in Penang. Under the strong sunlight, the competition started at once on cue. Teams were scattered in many directions, some targeting trash that had drifted ashore by the sea, others targeting trash littered on the streets, etc. We talked to the team members (Hazirah san, Ainaa san, and Farzana san) who found a trash hotspot early in the start and collected a large amount of trash all at once.
I wanted to try something new, and when I heard about SPOGOMI through an in-store ad at UNIQLO, I invited my colleagues, who are also pharmacists, to join SPOGOMI. I thought it would be a great way to contribute to the community and the environment, and also to spend time with my colleagues by participating.
Penang has a lot of tourists, but many locals, not tourists, throw trash away, and the presence of trash in the city itself is an everyday occurrence. Therefore, we had not thought about the marine litter issue until now.
Participating in SPOGOMI was the first time for us to know that marine litter comes from the land, and we enjoyed it as an activity. On the other hand, we also felt sad to see so much trash in our hometown. We hope that SPOGOMI will continue throughout Malaysia in the future.
We are Muslims, and in the teachings of Islam, we are supposed to clean ourselves and our surroundings as well as give alms to the poor, so I thought it was important (to pick up trash).
There was a great deal of trash in the city, especially cigarettes. Competitors were cheered and thanked by local people during the competition and were seen to enjoy picking up trash. Unfortunately, the team that was interviewed did not win the competition, but through the interview, we learned that picking up trash is a meaningful action from a religious aspect as well.
