Beach Bunch is working on getting the Blue Flag for Brunei beaches. Picture: BT/Saifulizam

Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Those familiar green recycling bins could very well make it onto Brunei’s beaches over the next few years as recycling will be among the major aspects local environmental group Beach Bunch will be looking at in their bid to get Brunei’s beaches the first in Asia to have the international Blue Flag standard.

“Part of the management of the beach we’re looking at is waste management as well, whereby we should have specific bins for recycling,” said Alan Tan, co-founder of Beach Bunch.

The non-government organisation is currently meeting up with relevant stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to pitch the idea of getting all five public beaches in the Sultanate the coveted Blue Flag Award over the next three years. They have set their sights first on virtually-underdeveloped Meragang beach as a pilot, aiming to get the beach Blue Flag worthy by the end of next year.

The Blue Flag is an “eco-label” awarded to beaches and marinas by the United Nation’s Foundation for Environmental Education, requiring beaches to meet stringent minimum standards which focus on environmental management and education.

“Brunei does have a system of segregating waste. Because we have the facilities, it is a requirement in the Blue Flag that we have to segregate our waste (from the beach) on the spot. So, we’re talking about the plastics, the aluminium cans, paper and the general waste,” Beach Bunch co-founder Rizan Latif told The Brunei Times.

Rizan said he believed the introduction of recycling facilities at the beaches would provide a sustainable solution to Brunei’s uphill battle against the endless trail of rubbish.

“When’s the last time you went to the beach (in Brunei) and it’s clean?” he asked.

Beach Bunch are known for their active role in cleaning Brunei’s beaches and raising awareness on the importance of clean beaches. During past beach clean-ups, the volunteer group stumbled upon rubbish as dangerous as syringes on Brunei’s beaches.

With among the aims of getting the Blue Flag award in Brunei as a means to lure in more visitors to the country’s beaches, Rizan hoped that the internationally-recognised standard would achieve both primary objectives.

“The Blue Flag is not just about tourism but it takes care of the environment,” Rizan said, adding that it promotes the protection and management of the beach’s surrounding, coastal and marine wildlife. “In the end of the day, the beach must be clean,” added Rizan, who pointed out that this would be an “obstacle” in acquiring the Blue Flag here.

Rizan said yesterday that Beach Bunch has established a “project team” dedicated to Brunei’s Blue Flag bid. The team, headed by Rizan himself, comprises a project manager, project officer, videographer, marketing officer and an education officer.

The non-government group has a tentative meeting scheduled on August 10 with the Ministry of Education’s Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (Step) Centre to rally support for the ambitious initiative, having already garnered the support of architects who were interested in developing and sponsoring beach facilities for the Blue Flag bid.

The Brunei Times

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