Syaiful Azmen Nordin, managing director of Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd, said the company had been involved in cleanup efforts since 2016.

“Previously, we collected 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes of waste a month. But now, with the use of the Interceptor, the amount of waste collected has been reduced by about 800 tonnes a month, as most was trapped in the Interceptor,” he said.

The Interceptor, an initiative by the Ocean Cleanup organisation, is a ship used to intercept plastic pollution in rivers.

An Interceptor has been stationed in the Klang River since August. It is only one of four; there are plans for the other three to be placed in the Mekong River in Vietnam and Santa Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat said Klang was chosen because the Klang River is one of the 50 most polluted rivers in the world.

On Saturday, Slat posted photographs of himself on the Interceptor 002 boat.

He said: “Insane to see all the stuff that’s being taken out. Handbags, helmets + countless bottles and garbage bags … all of which now won’t be entering the ocean.”

In reply to a question by another Twitter user, he said: “I was surprised to see there are actually quite a lot of straws in the trash collected.”

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the state government is prepared to place more Interceptors in other rivers in Selangor to trap waste, especially plastic.

“There are a few other rivers in Selangor that are polluted, especially with plastic, and among the worst, besides Klang River, is the river in Kuala Langat,” he said at a press conference after a briefing on the Selangor Maritime Gateway and The Ocean Cleanup yesterday.

He added that they will seek advice from Lembaga Urus Air Selangor to determine suitable locations for Interceptor placements.