In Kampung Lobong on Pulau Gaya, off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, a new pedestrian walkway is quietly reshaping ideas about waste and infrastructure.
Built largely from plastic waste, the 130m-long, 0.9m-wide walkway connects the village sports court to a timber bridge. Completed in October, it is Malaysia’s first pedestrian infrastructure made from upcycled ocean debris and island-generated plastic waste.
According to a feature by Bernama featured in Free Malaysia Today, the project marks the successful completion of a pilot under the United Nations Development Programme’s Island Waste Innovation Challenge, led by Sabah-based non-profit organisation Meraki Daat Initiative.
In total, 813kg of plastic waste were diverted from being burnt or washed back into the sea, transforming a long-standing environmental problem into a durable community asset.
Unlike plastic-modified asphalt roads trialled on the mainland, which rely on factory waste and heavy machinery, the Pulau Gaya project was designed around the realities of island life.
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