​About 120 volunteers thronged the streets of Seri Iskandar for clean up efforts in conjunction with the World Clean-up Day 2019.

Volunteers comprising students from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), UITM Seri Iskandar, Youth of Strength and Happiness (YOSH), passersby and people who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur gathered at the streets as early as 7.00 a.m.

Armed with plastic bags, they managed to scoop up around three tonnes of trash within two hours.

UTP chemical engineering student, Jabir Meftah, organised the clean-up campaign together with Perak Tengah District Council, UTP Centre of Student Development, UTP Residential Village, UTP Health, Safety and Environment as well as UTP Student Representative Council.  Sponsors included int3tree, Envy Formula and Mask Team.  Nearby restaurants also sponsored lunch for the volunteers.

According to Jabir, it was rewarding to see people volunteered and worked together for the campaign. 

"Although our actions are very small - like cleaning trash in the streets, it could spread a meaningful message in raising awareness on the importance of keeping the environment clean as well as cultivating the culture of cleanliness in our society, especially among youths.

Seri Iskandar is our first location and we are eager to carry out this campaign on a large scale throughout Malaysia," he said.

Jabir is an enthusiastic advocate for promoting shared environmental responsibility across the society.  It all started when he and his friend took up an internet challenge called #KutipSampahChallenge which started in August.

For the challenge, they cleaned up their campus parking lot and posted the video in social media.  It caught the attention of Her Royal Highness Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Iskandar.

At the invitation of Her Royal Highness, Jabir then took part in a plogging (combination of jogging and collecting rubbish) run at Pantai Sepat Kuantan organised by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah.

World Cleanup Day was an initiative by the Let's Do It Foundation, a global civic movement that started in Estonia in 2008 when 50,000 people came together to clean up the entire country in just five hours.

The foundation's mission is to connect and empower people and organisations around the world to clean up the planet.

Since then, the foundation has spread the model of cleaning up one country in a day around the world through comprehensive global cooperation.