PHILIPSBURG:--- Each year for over 30 years, the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) Day empowers people to reduce ocean trash while collecting crucial data on the types and amounts of trash which are invading our shorelines. Under the theme “One island, one ocean, one world”, the Dutch side foundation Environmental Protection the Caribbean (EPIC) joined forces with the French side organization Clean St. Martin. Together they organized a large clean-up at Grand Case, with over 165 volunteers cleaning 2.1 tonnes of waste from 2 kilometers of coastal shore and parallel roads.
Volunteers teams of 4 to 6 people managed the data collection and waste separation. The 27 registered teams competed for most waste collected, with the following winners: first place went to Team Alpha with 234 kg of waste, second place to Team Rugby Union with 188 kg of waste, and third place went to Team Colibri with 130 kg of waste.
During the clean-up volunteers collected a large amount of construction material and debris, leftovers from the past hurricane season. The strangest item found at the beach was a broken microwave.
The message at this event was clear; we need to keep the island and ocean free of pollution and cooperation between both sides can help to achieve this. Pollution travels by land, sea, and air and therefore EPIC encourages cooperation and participation of all citizens of the island in keeping it free of pollution, recommending minimizing or stopping the usage of single-use plastics and discarding all waste safely and correctly.
This event was sponsored by Heineken and FIJI Water, provided by International Liquor and Tobacco Trading N.V. (ILTT SXM). The organizers would like to thank ILTT SXM for the donation of beverages, clean up gear, and prizes for the competition, as well as the great support throughout the event.
They would also like to thank Kooyman St. Maarten for the donation of gloves and participation during the event with four teams. A big thank you also to Super U for the donation of juices and St. Martin’s Collectivité for their support.
