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International Coastal Cleanup Day, 2005
Saturday September 17 2005 marked the 20 th anniversary of International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day. It's a day when thousands of volunteers from countries all over the world gather on beaches and other waterways to participate in underwater and/or beach cleanups. This activity first started in 1986, when an employee of the Ocean Conservancy, a US non-profit organization dedicated solely to protecting ocean environments and marine life, and the lead international agency for the ICC, rounded up nearly 3,000 people, and spent a day removing 124 tons of debris from a Texas beach. Little did they know that this one cleanup would grow into a worldwide effort. Last year, over 300,000 international volunteers lent a hand to clean up litter and marine debris from the shores, lakes and rivers of nearly 90 nations including Barbados and the effort is growing.
In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ICC the Coastal Zone Management Unit conducted an underwater and beach cleanup at Browne's Beach, Bay Street . The CZMU was not alone in this effort as we also had the support of several local dive shops and clubs including, Barbados Blue, High Tide Dive Shop, Dive Pro, Eco Dive, Mauby Divers Dive Club and Barbados American Diving Association (BADASS) which made up a total of 27 divers taking part in the underwater leg. The Barbados Coast Guard was also on hand to give surface support. The other groups that participated in the cleanup were the Barbados Optimists Club, the Browne's Beach Posse, the Barbados Marine Trust and last but not least, parents, teachers and students from St. Margaret's Primary, CZMU's newly adopted school.
The day's activities were not restricted to just removing the garbage from the marine environment but it also included the collection of data on the types and amounts of marine debris found in relation to various marine activities. This task was left up to the students, parents and teachers from the St. Margaret's Primary who became Data Detectives in their own right sorting 47 bags of collected trash. This information was sent to the Oceans Conservancy who t hen compiled and studied the data in order to learn more about the global debris problem, educate the public, and find solutions. This will then lead to the formulation of international and regional initiatives to deal with waste management, and will inform international agreements like the MARPOL Convention, which deals with pollution from ships in international waters.
Overall, the event was a great success with the groups collecting a total of 683 lbs of garbage (498 lbs from the underwater cleanup and 185 lbs from the beach cleanup). Those who participated were able to contribute locally in an international effort to do something responsible in order to improve the health of the marine environment and have fun at the same time.
For both the underwater and beach cleanups, the highest proportion of garbage collected was in the form of plastic utensils such as cups, plates, knives and forks (Figure 1). Glass bottles were also a major form of garbage in the marine environment, while food wrappers and plastic bags were the other predominant garbage items found on the beach.
Figure 1: Percentages of the different types of garbage collected on the beach (yellow) and underwater (blue)
By far the largest amount of marine debris collected was generated from recreational activities such as picnicking and boating (Fig. 2). We therefore encourage all persons to make a concerted effort to dispose of all garbage in the appropriate manner.
Figure 2: Percentages of the garbage collected on the beach (yellow) and underwater (blue) due to different activities
The International Coastal Cleanup event is not about being retroactive and just cleaning up someone else's mess. It is also about pollution prevention and being proactive in thinking. The event focuses on educating and empowering people to become a part of the marine debris solution, and not a part of the problem which can kill thousands of fish and other marine organisms each year, and damage sensitive underwater habitats. Understanding the problem and changing behaviour is the key to finding long-lasting solutions.
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