Of late, it has become a common sight to see used face masks strewn all over the place.

Besides causing plastic pollution, such irresponsible act also poses a health risk to the public.

This is why a woman and her relative recently embarked on a mission to collect face masks thrown in public places, in order to get rid of them in a proper manner.

Vasugi Ramasamy, who works as an accounts clerk at Econsave Parit Buntar, Perak, and Suriya Kuppusamy, a student at the Nibong Tebal Industrial Training Institute (ILP), were tired of spotting face masks thrown all over the place, while commuting to work and studies, respectively.

Instead of being mere bystanders, the duo decided to act on collecting as much discarded face masks as they could see, from Sungai Bakap in Penang to Parit Buntar in Perak - a distance of about 15 km.

So last Saturday morning, Vasugi and Suriya hopped on a motorcycle, clad in masks and gloves, and brandishing sticks with hooks at the end, and plastic bags to place the collected face masks.

Based on photos posted on Vasugi's Facebook page, the mission certainly turned out to be a success, as they were seen carrying a huge plastic bag filled with discarded face masks at the end of the day.

Vasugi had also posted a few words of advice against those who irresponsibly dispose of used face masks in public.

"It is times like this (the COVID-19 pandemic) that we should take extra care of hygiene. That is our shared responsibility.

"Please do not discard used face masks all over the place, it only heightens the risk of the spread of COVID-19," she wrote.

Vasugi and Suriya's cleaning mission is being widely shared on the social media, with netizens unanimously praising their selfless act.

It is laudable indeed, what the duo has done. Instead of being a mere bystander by complaining about discarded face masks, and driving off without doing anything about it, they actually acted on their grievance and walked the talk.

Bravo! If more people become more civic conscious like Vasugi and Suriya, the world will become a better place.


Photo source: Vasugi Ramasamy Facebook