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A total of 1,714 pounds of garbage was collected from Chacachacare Island by local volunteers in the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) 2016 in just over an hour yesterday.
Minister of Planning and Development Camille Robinson-Regis said that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Speaking after the beach clean-up off the island, Robinson-Regis said: “There was so much garbage and rubbish here that even though there were almost 200 of us here cleaning, it hasn’t made that much of a difference.
“What we’re hoping is that we could bring awareness to the public on the issue of making sure our environment stays clean especially with regard to plastics which does not decay.
She said there was a watercourse that was packed with so much plastic that the water couldn’t be seen anymore.
Robinson-Regis said the CDA (Chaguaramas Development Authority) was in charge of that part of T&T and the ministry will be working with the authority to have Chacachacare patrolled more regularly and also kept clean.
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International Coastal Cleanup is a global event initiated by Ocean Conservancy in 1986. Its aim is to engage citizens to remove trash and debris from beaches and waterways all around the world, identify the sources of debris, and change the behavioural patterns that contribute to pollution.
Last year, according to its world report, close to 800,000 volunteers worldwide collected 18 million pounds of trash. The number one item was cigarette butts, with 2,127,565 collected around the globe.
In T&T, ICC was expected to take place at over 25 sites across the country yesterday.
‘TAKE PRIDE IN CLEAN BEACHES’
Country co-ordinator of the International Coastal Clean-Up (ICC), Marissa Mohammed, is calling on beach-goers to take pride in keeping beaches clean.
Mohammed also wants parents to educate their children about littering.
She was speaking yesterday at Las Cuevas Beach during a clean-up which was spearheaded by Amco’s Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.
Around the world yesterday, volunteers came out to clean trash from thousands of sites.
In T&T, more than 2,000 volunteers gathered at 25 sites to clear garbage.
Last year, close to 1,700 pounds of trash were collected at Las Cuevas Beach alone.