Cover image via
@hafizitajudin (TikTok)
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Sharing his experience on TikTok, Hafizi Tajudin, fondly known as Pok Jie to his followers, said he could not help but stop his hike after seeing all the rubbish littered around the area.
The 27-year-old local told Sinar Harian that he and his friend, Nuralia Faziera, initially only picked up empty water bottles left by previous irresponsible hikers during their way up to the waterfall.
However, they finally cancelled their picnic plans when they stumbled upon a huge pile of rubbish sitting in a black plastic bag, and decided to bring it down.
“Among the rubbish we found included drink bottles, food packaging, and used face masks. If this rubbish is not disposed of properly, over time it will increase and pollute the environment,” he said.
They paused to continue collecting rubbish they found on the way down before finally reaching the entrance, where there were dumpsters to throw them away.
Hafizi told the Malay daily that it took him almost 40 minutes to go through 1km of jungle with the heavy bag on his back, but he said it was worth it.
His TikTok video was shared by Facebook page Discovery Terengganu, which garnered over two million views since it was posted on Friday, 22 October.
Many netizens thanked and praised him for taking care of the environment.
Meanwhile, others expressed regret that Malaysians were still not civic-minded and needed to be educated to not litter in public places.
Hafizi told SAYS that he never expected his video to go viral as the advice was mostly for his friends and followers on TikTok.
However, grateful for the opportunity to spread the message, he said, “I hope that my video will bring awareness to all Malaysians. Don’t forget to throw your rubbish in the right place!”