WAVES OF CHANGE

Trash Hero Pattani's weekly waste collection inspires locals to tackle climate change one rubbish bag at a time

- STORY: MELALIN MAHAVONGTRAKUL

Most people would still be in bed at 6.30am on a Saturday, but not for a group of volunteers who gather weekly at Rusamilae Beach in Pattani province. With bags and a tong in hand, they set out on an important mission which they've been consistently doing for the past nine years - picking up trash.

Although very early in the day, it was already hot as everybody set to work around the area that's also known among the locals as the Catwalk. It is a space for leisure where people come to take a stroll, exercise and have a picnic by the beach. Geographically, Rusamilae Beach is situated near the mouth of the Pattani River, where the river flows into the Gulf of Thailand. Strongly shaped by the river's outflow at Pak Nam Pattani, this estuary is vital to local communities for small-scale fishing, coastal livelihoods and cultural life.

It is also an area where a lot of trash washes up, including common debris like bottles, lighters, food wrappers and, less commonly, even a dead goat that the group had to contact the local municipality to handle.

Led by Trash Hero Pattani, activity has been ongoing for nine years and at the time of our visit, it was the 477th round of trash collection by the group. Nineteen volunteers were present on the day, and together they were able to pick up 52kg of trash in less than an hour. Glass bottles made up about 10kg of the total weight.

"We're not picking up this trash and expecting it to disappear from the world or anything. We pick up the trash so that in that round of collection, the trash disappears. It's also done to empower people in the area that starting something doesn't have to be complicated or even require money," said Nattapong Nithi-uthai, a lecturer at the Department of Rubber Technology and Polymer Science at Prince of Songkla University, Pattani campus, who leads Trash Hero Pattani.