World Cleanup Day is an annual global social action program celebrated on the third Saturday in September, aimed at combating the global mismanaged waste crisis, including the problem of marine debris. In 2023, World Cleanup Day was held on 16 September. Each World Cleanup Day, the numbers of key outcomes are getting higher. In 2022, 14.8 million people in 190 countries joined together to create a cleaner planet. So, this year, we hope to see more and more people join this to achieve incredible things.
There are an estimated 75 to 199 million tons of plastic waste currently in our oceans, with a further 33 billion pounds of plastic entering the marine environment every single year. More than 1 million marine animals are estimated to die each year due to plastic pollution in the ocean. Plastic waste poisons the environment and the animals that inhabit it, and continues to be a very serious risk to our oceans.
Trash Hero is an energetic, volunteer-led movement that drives change within communities around the world, motivating and supporting them to clean and prevent plastic waste.
Trash Hero Bangkok is a Thai community aiming to work together as volunteers with the whole community, independently of commercial and political affiliations. Their activities are made possible with the generous support of local businesses and government agencies. They meet every week to clean somewhere, and they will post the place on their Facebook page (Trash Hero Bangkok). The only contribution that Trash Hero Bangkok asks of its volunteers is to show up – no donations, no sign-up fees required.
We chose Trash Hero because we thought their activity was a small part of what we could do as an organization. As a part of the world, we want to raise awareness among our colleagues and others and be a part of helping our world to be a better place for everyone. We believe that we can be stronger when we come together.
However, to save our world, you can start small too. Be responsible for cleaning up your own plastic waste, and collect any discarded plastic trash that you see. You can also encourage your company and coworkers to join a community like Trash Hero to make a greater impact and strengthen your relationships.
We were separated into two teams to pick up the garbage around the Taco Lake area for three hours
Team 1 was in charge of the township area, which is the factories, local stores, and residential area. We found a lot of garbage in these areas, such as single-use plastic, cigarette ash, and beer caps.
Team 2 was in charge of the river areas. As we paddled our boats along the Suan River, we collected a good deal of waste while encountering several dead fish caught in plastic bags, electric wires, and even refrigerators.
Thanks to everyone’s hard work and determination, we collected 620 kg of garbage that day. Yet, there’s still a lot of garbage left to be collected – and even more that we need to start cutting down on, to avoid them ending up in our waterways and communities.,
To end off the day, our volunteers and Trash Hero Bangkok had meals and wakeboarded together.
At the end of the year, we will raise funds from November to December for the Kharma Family charity, aiming to help people in need or children in rural areas who are not accessible to development.
Want to be a part of a team that likes to get outdoors, have fun, and do good for our communities and environment? If you are interested in joining our team, visit here to see our open positions.