The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH students did not participate in this year’s 36th International Coastal Cleanup on Grand Bahama, volunteers from civic organisations turned out in full force to clean beaches around the island.

The initiative is the largest single-day cleanup effort to remove trash and debris from oceans, beaches, lakes, and rivers.

This year’s theme was “Harnessing the Power of People to Fight Ocean Trash.”

Eight locations were identified for cleanup on Saturday, September 18, from 8am to 10am.

Organisations that participated were the Rotary Club of Grand Bahama, The Lion Clubs, Waterkeepers Bahamas, Kiwanis Clubs, West End Community Action Network (WECAN), Pilot Club of Freeport and Lucaya, Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Sigma Gamma Rho, Kappa Alpha Psi, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Harmony Lodge and Pride of Grand Bahama #7.

Trash and debris were collected and documented from Gold Rock Beach, Barbary Beach, Fortune Beach, Taino Beach, Williams Town Beach, Xanadu Beach, Lover’s Beach, and Bootle Bay Beach.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no participation from schools in Grand Bahama this year.

A Ministry of Tourism and Aviation official in Freeport said the initiative promotes a cleaner island.

“We want to make Grand Bahama a cleaner island and a healthier place, and that can only happen if we take part in programmes that offer public recognition and financial incentives in exchange for implementing environmentally beneficial actions and improving the quality of life,” said Steven Johnson, general manager of MOTA Grand Bahama.

Grand Bahama’s volunteers collected nearly 3,000 pounds of trash in 2018.

ICC is observed on the third Saturday of September each year when hundreds of thousands of volunteers from around the world go out for a few hours to remove trash and debris from beaches, lakes, and rivers, and keep track of every piece of trash they find.

Ocean Conservancy uses the information to produce an annual snapshot of the marine debris problem.

According to reports, over the past 34 years, more than 8.5 million volunteers have removed 200 million pounds of trash from nearly 300,000 miles of coastline and waterways in 152 countries and locations.

With so many volunteers worldwide, ICC has become a beacon of hope, leading and inspiring action to support the world’s oceans.

And since its inception, over 16 million volunteers have collected more than 340 million pounds of trash, which threatens ocean wildlife and ecosystems and undermines tourism and its economic activities.

Over the last 36 years, Ocean Conservancy beach cleanup volunteers have collected enough cups, plates, forks, knives, and spoons to host a picnic for 2.5 million people.

The millions of pounds of trash collected would cover about 170 football fields.