My First Time... Kayaking To Clean Up The Environment And Give Back To The Community

Life's a beach, until it's full of litter.

ICYDK, more and more rubbish is being cleared from our recreational beaches and coastlines each year. Here are some sobering numbers: According to the National Environment Agency's (NEA's) yearly flotsam data, NEA collected 3,485.7 tonnes (3,485,700kg) of marine litter in 2020 from the recreational beaches and coastlines that it cleaned. And in 2021, that number grew to 4009.19 tonnes (4,009,190kg).

To combat this problem, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) launched an inaugural National Action Strategy in 2022 to address marine litter, so that current and future generations can continue to enjoy our largely pristine beaches and coastlines.

But we cannot just leave the clean-up to the authorities lah. We all have a part to play. So when I heard about an oar-some opportunity to kayak and pick up flotsam (any floating object of notable size, such as plastic bottles, carcasses, drums, and more), and give back to the community at the same time, I couldn't let it drift by.

I'm talking about the annual "Rent-a-Craft, Pay-by-Trash" campaign by People’s Association (PA) PAssion Wave. Held this year from 4 to 8 Dec 2024, the yearly eco-friendly initiative that began in 2018 offers an incredible way to enjoy water sports while contributing to environmental sustainability. And that's exactly what I got to experience: Paddling through (mostly) calm waters and scooping up marine litter under an azure blue sky, while doing my part to make Singapore a cleaner, greener place.

For just a token sum of minimally $1, participants like me rented a kayak or stand-up paddle (SUP) board and embarked on a mission to clean up our waterways and coastlines. What’s more, this year marked a special milestone, as "Rent-a-Craft, Pay-by-Trash" joined the SG Giving Week – a part of the SG Cares movement, a national initiative held annually to celebrate the spirit of giving from 1 to 7 Dec.

And other than cleaning up marine litter, you get to give back to the community too. The token sum paid goes toward not just offsetting the locker rentals, but also supporting the pro-bono Kayak ‘N’ Klean programme for underprivileged groups.

Here's my experience:

IMAGE: NG KAI

My time slot began at 9am, and after we had our personal floatation devices (PFDs) snug and secure over our torsos, each pair of kayakers was allocated a kayak and two oars before we gathered at a part of Sembawang beach behind PAssion Wave @ Sembawang.

You'll be well-equipped to be an effective clean-up crew; a pail or gunny sack, gloves, and tongs are your tools. | IMAGE: NG KAI

IMAGE: NG KAI

Our warm-up for the day was picking whatever litter we could find on the beach first. Spoiler alert: there was a lot of it.

After only 15min in a small section of Sembawang beach, that's how much litter we collected 😱 | IMAGE: NG KAI

After a safety briefing (that included things to beware of, like going too close to rocky areas), we set off from the beach in our kayaks and got to work.

The kayaking itself was, well, smooth sailing. I kayaked up and down along Sembawang beach, and used my pair of tongs to kiap whatever flotsam I spotted drifting around. If I couldn't kiap it, I just used my hand to fish the litter out of the water. All the trash was stored in the gunny sack I had brought along on the kayak.

Don't forget to pause to hydrate... and take in the view. | IMAGE: NG KAI

A couple in my group posing with their "haul". | IMAGE: NG KAI

Each time slot is 2 hours long, and because I was single-mindedly on the lookout for drifting flotsam, those 2 hours really flew by. At 11am, we gathered back at the same section of Sembawang beach to disembark, and wash and return the rented equipment. Next came the fun part...

IMAGE: NG KAI

...weighing our gunny sack or pail to see how much trash we had picked up. This lady and her buddy picked up 33kg worth of flotsam - slay!

Once we had weighed the trash, we disposed of it in these bins. | IMAGE: NG KAI

At the end of the session, we each scanned a QR code to fill in how many kilograms of trash we had collected. Being able to put a number to the amount of flotsam we had individually picked up undoubtedly felt like a silent job well done.

And that was it! We were free to go after returning the kayak, oars, and PFDs from where we had taken them.

"Rent-a-Craft, Pay-by-Trash" will be available at these 6 PAssion WaVe outlets:

• Bedok Reservoir
• East Coast**
• Jurong Lake Garden
• Marina Bay
• Pasir Ris*
• Sembawang*

*If you're interested in paddling at Sembawang or Pasir Ris, you will have to present a one-star kayaking certificate.

**SUP is only available at the East Coast outlet (you would also need to present an SUP certificate).

Jio your friends and family

It could definitely be a fun paktor activity (my group had at least 3 couples), or even a family bonding session (there was a father-son duo as well). You'll get to burn some calories, help the environment, and give back to the community. Can feel good and do good - win-win lor!

Tips for newbies

The proper attire would be sportswear and covered shoes (water booties are best). I highly recommend bringing a pair of shades along, and a vacuum-insulated bottle (time to bust out your Owala or Hydroflask) filled with cold water. The cold water really slaps when you're out at sea with no shade from the sun's searing rays.

If possible, leave your phones behind in the locker. If not, keep your phone inside a waterproof case and sling it across your body. Or else, if you accidentally drop your phone into the water while recording your IG story, you can say bye bye to it – more drastically, it will add to the marine litter.

My group "rafting up" and posing for a shot. Good job, team! | IMAGE: NG KAI

All in all, I had loads of fun while doing my part for my island home. Would I return for the next edition of "Rent-a-Craft, Pay-by-Trash"? Sea-riously, yes 💙

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