Beach clean-up program for environmental awareness and sustainable development at Teluk Gadung Beach, Malaysia

Authors

  • Dewi Maulida Ulya Mahyati Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam, UIN Salatiga
  • Aisah Yulfianda Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam, UIN Salatiga
  • Emy Widyastuti Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam, UIN Salatiga
  • Wan Nursyamimi binti Wan Mohd Zafry Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)
  • Nidhish Saravanan Sri Eshwar College of Engineering (SECE),
  • Bayu Nurhadi Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Islam, UIN Salatiga

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53088/penamas.v6i3.3683

Keywords:

Beach Clean Up, Sustainable Development Goals, Environmental Awareness, International Collaboration, Coastal Conservation

Abstract

Plastic waste pollution seriously threatens coastal ecosystems and undermines sustainable development efforts. This community service program was conducted through an international student mobility collaboration between Universitas Islam Negeri Salatiga (Indonesia) and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Terengganu (Malaysia), featuring a beach cleanup at Teluk Gadung Beach, Dungun, Terengganu, on June 12, 2026. The program employed a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach, involving 130 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and India alongside the local community group "Geng Plastik Ija" (GPI). The activity comprised pre-implementation, implementation, and post-implementation phases, covering site identification, environmental education, waste collection, sorting, weighing, and evaluation. The activity collected 203.01 kilograms of waste. Beyond ecological outcomes, the activity provided hands-on environmental learning experiences and fostered cross-cultural interaction among participants. Participant reflections revealed heightened awareness of small plastic fragments, often invisible to the naked eye, on beaches that otherwise appeared clean. This program demonstrates that community-based environmental action and transnational collaboration can contribute to SDGs 12, 13, and 14.

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Published

2026-09-30

How to Cite

Mahyati, D. M. U., Yulfianda, A., Widyastuti, E., Zafry, W. N. binti W. M., Saravanan, N., & Nurhadi, B. (2026). Beach clean-up program for environmental awareness and sustainable development at Teluk Gadung Beach, Malaysia. Penamas: Journal of Community Service, 6(3), 985–995. https://doi.org/10.53088/penamas.v6i3.3683

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 3 (2026): Penamas: Journal of Community Service

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Dewi Maulida Ulya Mahyati, Aisah Yulfianda, Emy Widyastuti, Wan Nursyamimi binti Wan Mohd Zafry, Nidhish Saravanan, Bayu Nurhadi

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