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Volunteers remove over 300kg of trash from Kinabalu foothill trails

7/24/2026 · Camp Freaks Editorial

A weekend of cleanup

A group of around 40 volunteers, many of them local hikers and campsite operators, spent a weekend clearing litter from trails near Kundasang, close to the base of Mount Kinabalu. Organizers estimate over 300kg of trash was collected, most of it plastic packaging and bottles.

Community-led, not top-down

Unlike government-organized cleanups, this drive was started informally by a group of local guides frustrated with the state of popular trailheads. Word spread through camping community chat groups, and the turnout exceeded expectations.

A recurring effort

Organizers say they intend to make the cleanup a quarterly event, and are working with local campsite operators to set up permanent recycling points near trailheads to reduce the need for large-scale cleanups in the future.