Interview with The Ocean Cleanup in Malaysia - Malaysia

Interview with The Ocean Cleanup in Malaysia

News item | 15-09-2023 | 09:06

Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in weight in the oceans. This has consequences for biodiversity, the aquatic environment and human health. In March 2023, the Netherlands co-hosted the UN Water Conference in New York together with Tajikistan. The conference called on world leaders, entrepreneurs, experts and everyone to take Water Action. That is why World Cleanup Day 2023 is focused on waterway cleanups. For this occasion we interviewed The Ocean Cleanup in Malaysia about their important work.

What is The Ocean Cleanup?

The Ocean Cleanup is an international non-profit organization that develops and scales technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. To achieve this goal, we employ a dual strategy: intercepting in rivers to tackle the sources of ocean plastic pollution and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean.

The Ocean Cleanup's team consists of over 140 engineers, researchers, scientists, computational modelers, and supporting roles, working daily to rid the world's oceans of plastic. Our HQ is in Rotterdam, while we recently opened our first regional office, in Kuala Lumpur.

Who is leading the The Ocean Cleanup in Malaysia?

Located in Kuala Lumpur, Steven Paalman leads the Asia developments for The Ocean Cleanup's River projects. In Steven’s role, and together with the Netherlands-based team, he connects the dots between local partners, regional needs and conditions, and solutions. With 27 years of experience driving growth, Steven's key objective is to unite this knowledge with The Ocean Cleanup's technology to find the most impactful solutions for the Asia region.

How is the Ocean Cleanup in Malaysia contributing towards a cleaner environment?

Every year, millions of tons of plastic enter the ocean, primarily from rivers. The Ocean Cleanup has been active in Malaysia since 2019, when Interceptor 002 was deployed in the Klang River, which runs through Kuala Lumpur. According to our research, the Klang was one of the 50 most polluting rivers worldwide.

In 2016, Landasan Lumayan Sdn. Bhd. (LLSB) implemented the Selangor Maritime Gateway initiative, aimed at rejuvenating the Klang River. Therefore, together with the local government, the Interceptor was a welcome addition to their own cleanup efforts, using barriers in the river to stop the plastic flow to the ocean. The Interceptor helps to improve the cleanup efficiency, resulting in a quicker and more scalable cleanup. In 2021, a second Interceptor, Interceptor 005, was deployed in the Klang.

Could you share some numbers about the tonnes of plastic captured by the Interceptor(s) in Malaysia?

You can track exactly how much waste The Ocean Cleanup has collected on our impact dashboard. At the time of writing, The Ocean Cleanup has removed over 5 million kilograms of trash from our waterways.

Why is your work important?

Every single year, marine plastic costs the economy billions of dollars – impacting tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, and (governmental) cleanups. And that doesn’t include the impact on our health and the marine ecosystem. Intercepting plastic in rivers is much more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences downstream.

What can Malaysians that want to take water action do?

We aim to clean up 90% of floating ocean plastic pollution by 2040. As a non-profit foundation, we depend on people like you to help drive the mission and to join us in ridding the oceans of plastic by donating, partnering, or sharing the cleanup progress on social media. One way of supporting the mission is by becoming a citizen scientist, helping to enrich data on plastic pollution to help provide input for cleanup activities. Log the plastic you see in your nearby river or while at sea, using our app. Check out this page for all the other ways to take action and contribute to the mission.

What is The Ocean Cleanup’s goal for Malaysia the next 5-10 years?

Our goal in Malaysia is to first “finish what we started” in the Klang River by working with our local partners to increase our impact there. Once we feel satisfied with the results in Klang River, we will work with local governments and support them through our research and knowledge. We see a lot of need and potential in Malaysia to continue our efforts to intercept.

What is the weirdest item captured by the interceptor?

The Interceptor catches all kinds of things. Perhaps it’s not the weirdest, but it definitely stands out that we have collected several teddy bears in the Klang River. They just keep showing up!