Coastal clean-up day two Saturdays away
Wednesday, September 05, 2018
International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2018 is set for Saturday, September 15, with national coordinator Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) aiming to have Jamaica ranked in the global top 10 in terms of number of volunteers participating.
Last year the NGO recorded some 9,600 volunteers who cleaned up over 160,000 pounds of garbage from 149 sites. Those statistics ranked Jamaica's event the largest in the English-speaking Caribbean and the 12th largest in the world.
This year, JET says it is expecting over 10,000 volunteers to participate on the day.
The theme for ICC 2018 is Nuh Dutty Up Jamaica, the title of JET's current public education campaign that aims to improve citizens' knowledge about the impact of poorly handled waste on public health and the environment, and encourage personal responsibility for the generation and disposal of waste.
“ICC is not just about cleaning up beaches,” JET says in promotional material. “It is about gathering data on the garbage we collect. The data is used by the Ocean Conservancy and JET to educate and advocate for improved waste management practices and policy.
“International Coastal Cleanup Day is a great opportunity to educate people about where our waste goes, and its impact on the environment,” it adds.
ICC is the largest one-day volunteer event in the world, and takes place on the third Saturday in September each year.
The main sponsor of ICC Jamaica 2018 is the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), while Recycling Partners of Jamaica and Jamaica Energy Partners are corporate sponsors.