THE International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) began more than 30 years ago when communities rallied together with the common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering their coastline. The movement was catalyzed by the passion and spirit of two committed individuals. Back in 1986, Linda Maraniss moved to Texas from Washington, DC, where she had been working for Ocean Conservancy. She’d been inspired by the work her Ocean Conservancy colleague Kathy O’Hara was doing on a ground-breaking report called Plastics in the Ocean: More than a Litter Problem that would be published the next year. Linda and Kathy reached out to the Texas General Land Office, local businesses and other dedicated ocean-lovers, and planned what would become Ocean Conservancy’s first clean-up. They asked volunteers to go beyond picking up trash and record each item collected on a standardised data card to identify ways to eliminate ocean trash in the future. More than three decades later, ICC has grown into the largest global volunteer effort for the protection of the environment with participants from more than 100 countries.

The Caribbean Youth Environment Network Guyana Chapter and the Environmental Protection Agency have been collaborating for the past six years to coordinate and execute activities for the coastal clean-up. The event in Guyana mirrors that which takes place on a global scale; from an ever-growing number of volunteers to the type of litter collected and recorded. Last year, approximately 500 volunteers joined the three-day effort and collected more than 36, 849 pieces of litter from our coastlines at the Kingston Seawall and #63 Beach. During the clean-up in 2019, the items found are included in the table in this article.

#CleanOn – Clean-up during COVID
This year, the International Coastal Clean-up will be held under the theme, “Harnessing the power of people to fight ocean trash.” Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on large gatherings, the CYEN Guyana Chapter as the National Coordinating Body, has decided to postpone the activity to a later, safer date. Where safe, small clean-ups can happen, and volunteers are asked to track their impact, collecting essential data on the amount and types of trash collected and submitting it all through Ocean Conservancy’s app, Clean Swell.

Here’s what you can do beyond ICC:
* In your community: If you can, do an individual or small-scale, socially distant cleanup in your neighbourhood;
* At home: Learn how you can reduce waste; and
* Support the ban on single-use plastics and other waste-management legislation.

The EPA wishes to thank all groups and individuals involved in the coordination and execution of ICC over the years – for their unwavering support, time and effort.

The full ICC Guyana report can be downloaded from the EPA website http://www.epaguyana.org/epa/forms-downloads/epa-reports/category/18-epa-reports

Remember to stay safe and follow the guidelines for protecting yourself and others from COVID-19!

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.