PETALING JAYA, June 1 (Sin Chew Daily) — A young Malay man challenges himself to pick up garbage in different areas for three weeks to walk the talk of protecting the environment.

Hazmi Nabil celebrated his 18th birthday on May 23 by picking garbage as he was unable to hold birthday party with friends due to the Movement Control Order (MCO). 

He decided to celebrate his birthday in a very different way by picking up garbage in Klang Valley for 23 days until June 15.

Hazmi told Sin Chew Daily he finished his SPM examination last year, and is involved in sports activities and event management while waiting for university placement.

Hazmi, who is from Langkawi, is living in Bangi now. He said, "While organizing events, I notice that many people litter even if trash bins are available. I start to pick up rubbish from places where the events are organized by me.

"I want to challenge myself and create public awareness on environment protection. I then relate it to my birthday to contribute towards the nation," he added.

   

To show his commitment, Hazmi has been posting on Twitter the trash he collects each day while sharing his thoughts with netizens.

His first posting attracted 15,000 likes and 7,400 shares.

On the second day of Hari Raya, he picked up remnants of firecrackers. He reminded people to handle the trash after celebrations.

Each day he would collect about two to three huge bags of trash. Apart from cigarette butts and cigarette packets, he also picked up disused handphones, wooden wardrobe and giant cane chairs.

Hazmi spends about 30 minutes to one hour each afternoon to pick up garbage along the road.

"In future, I hope to set up an organization for young people of all races to collect garbage in various parts of Malaysia," he said.

23/5/02 day aku dilahirkan. So aku nak celeb bday aku tapi tak boleh buat party .Instead aku try cabar diri aku untuk kutip sampah area Klang Valley selama 23 hari. It may be a small work, and I only managed to fill 3 plastic bags today. Doakan aku berjaya rakan-rakan#day1 pic.twitter.com/CuI8lLcB1n

— Hazmi Nabil (@hazmi_nabil_) May 23, 2020