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Two hundred and eleven (211) bags
of non-recyclable wastes weighing 2315 pounds (1050 kg) were collected
at two sites during the National Environment and Planning Agency’s
(NEPA) International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) activities, on
September 16. An additional 50 bags of recyclable materials weighing
1284 pounds (528kg) were also collected.
This year, a combined 250
volunteers joined forces to clean up the Rio Grande River, in Portland
and Half-Moon Bay in Hellshire, St. Catherine. They covered
approximately 21 km of beaches (and waterways), including parallel
tracks.
Schools, community groups and
other civic organizations partnered with NEPA, other Government
agencies and Private Sector entities in the exercise. The volunteers’
input marked Jamaica’s eleventh year participating in the annual
environmental activity, the twenty-first anniversary of which was
observed internationally this year.
In St. Catherine, a total of 174
bags of garbage were collected. The National Solid Waste Management
Authority (NSWMA) removed a total of 137 bags of non-recyclable
materials while Protect the Environment Trust (PET) collected 37 bags
of recyclables. PET is a Kingston-based volunteer group established in
2004 to collect plastics, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
bottles, for recycling.
Buoyed by the sounds of music and
interviews courtesy of a live Outside Broadcast aired on POWER 106FM,
the volunteers chomped down on lunches courtesy of NEPA and other
refreshments provided by West Indies Synthetics Company (WISYNCO),
Grace Foods and the National Environmental Societies Trust (NEST).
In Portland, the mood was
similar, though the numbers were smaller. NEPA’s David Reid marshaled
his 79 volunteers and headed down the banks of the Rio Grande River in
search of PET bottles and other types of garbage.
At the end of the day, a total of
87 bags of garbage weighing 857 pounds were collected. Approximately 9
km of water way and coastline were covered by the Portland team, which
also collected 13 bags or approximately 130 pounds of PET bottles for
recycling.
On the third Saturday of
September, each year, NEPA gears up for ICCD activities. The
importance of the event is marked by the numerous clean-ups organized
by other organizations, including environmental non-Government
organizations (ENGOs) across Jamaica, on that day.
Ainsley Henry, acting manager of
the Integrated Coastal Zone and Watershed Management Branch (ICZWMB)
and team leader of the activity, at NEPA said that, “International
Coastal Clean-Up Day is an annual ‘must do’ for eco-friendly
Jamaicans.”
ICCD was, originally, observed as
a local beach clean-up in Texas in the United States (US) which was
initiated by the Washington D.C. based Centre for Marine Sciences.
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