On October 5th 2019, volunteers consisting of staff, family members and friends rallied together to clean the coastline and river mouth of Newlands Beach, Mayaro.
Hosted by Trinidad Inspection Services (Company website) and Atlantic Island Supply Limited (Company website), the group of volunteers collected over 40 bags of trash – 1/4 of which was considered recyclable and delivered to an iCare bin for recycling.
TIS has been operating in the Galeota region for over 10 years and many employees drive past this beach on a daily basis. With the recent heavy rainfall, the beach and river had become ridden with plastic and other non-biodegradable waste. The clean-up was an opportunity to come together as a team and restore the natural beauty to the area so it can once more be enjoyed by the local community.
There were some strange finds including – a fridge, a car bumper, and plastic bottles from Suriname, Guyana and China. The most common waste material found was Styrofoam bits from old fishing lines.
A Forbes article released in September 2019 revealed that of the top 30 waste producing countries in the world, 10 are from the Caribbean and T&T is the #1 culprit of waste with 1.5kg produced daily per capita.
Before After
As a society, we need to recognize the weight of our individual decisions and make personal lifestyle changes where we can. Refuse single-use plastics like plastic water bottles and Styrofoam food containers. Walk with reusable bottles and containers instead. Recycle at home – there are iCare bins located throughout the country for easy disposal of recyclables. Take garbage bags with you when you go to the beach or river on a weekend, and take your trash with you when you leave.
“Small acts multiplied by millions can change this world” – Howard Zinn
Thank you to all our volunteers and we look forward to seeing you again next year!