PETALING JAYA, May 28 — Turning 18 was supposed to be a grand occasion for Hazmi Nabil Mahmad Faisaal.

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 virus and restrictions put in place against having celebrations or gatherings, however, things didn’t quite go to plan.

Instead of wallowing by himself, Hazmi chose to make the most out of his momentous turning of age by celebrating it in a rather unique way — collecting rubbish from the streets of his neighbourhood.

 

 

Hazmi said in a post on his Twitter page that his 18th birthday was last week, on May 23, and decided to commemorate the occasion by making a symbolic pledge to pick up trash for 23 days straight.

"May 23 is the day I was born and I wanted to celebrate it but I can’t have a party. So I decided to challenge myself to pick up trash around the Klang Valley for 23 days,” he said in the post last week.

"It may only be a small act. But I collected three bags today.”

Hazmi continued to update his social media following daily on his progress and findings during his cleanup trips as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazmi also said that he started out by picking up trash from his neighbourhood in Bangi and plans to go around removing litter from the streets for at least an hour a day, in locations across the Klang Valley.

He added that the collected junk usually consists of plastic containers, cigarette butts and boxes, firework remains and electronic appliances including three handphones too.

"Half of my collection today is rubbish from fireworks. So to everyone out there playing with fireworks, please dispose of the remnants appropriately once you’re done,” said Hazmi on the second day.

Hazmi told local news portal Rojak Daily that this wasn’t something unusual for him to do, as he has been collecting trash from the streets for a long time now, as a way of exhibiting his love for the environment.

Hazmi said in his posts that he could fill two to three bags of trash in just an hour of collecting. — Picture via Twitter/@hazmi_nabil_

"Honestly, I’ve been picking up trash for years now. It’s my way of giving back to society and showing my love for the environment,” said Hazmi.

"It’s surprisingly been fun. People are starting to recognise me, and they say hi or give me a thumbs up from their cars.”

He added that he hoped other youths would follow in his footsteps to do their part in creating a cleaner environment and even gave a few helpful tips on the safest way to pick up trash amidst Covid-19 concerns.

"Make sure you wear gloves. If it’s layered, it would be better. Bring a spray-type sanitiser and immediately sanitise once you’re done,” said Hazmi.

He said that he would carry out his daily clean-ups until June 15 and would continue to upload updates every day on his Twitter page.

Hazmi’s unique birthday celebration soon caught the attention of social media users, with many praising him for his upstanding behaviour and even taking the time to wish him a happy birthday and "Selamat Hari Raya”.

Social media users were proud of Hazmi for choosing to celebrate his birthday this way. — Screengrab via Twitter/@hazmi_nabil_