“We wanted to make an impact as small as it was and leave some footprint on the environment,” said Scott Mitchell, General Manager of Suntory Caribbean.
From as early as 6 am approximately 150 volunteers boarded several maxis and started the commute to Chaguaramas, where the vessel to take them to the island waited.
“It was an early start and we are appreciative of the people that gave up their own time to make a difference in what is a beautiful part of the world,” said Mitchell
The volunteers were split into different teams, identified by their colours and it was an energetic bunch. Upon arrival on the island they started singing along to Mr Killa’s ‘Run wid it’ song.
“We come here to pick up something, anything, grab something, anything”, the volunteers chanted.
Each team was given gloves, garbage bags and tools such as rakes and trash grabbers so they can effectively perform the task ahead.
The team that collected the most garbage and possessed the most “vibes” would win overall beach clean-up.
But it was more than a competition for the volunteers who really gave up their Saturday to make a difference.
“My aim is really and truly just to clean up, our oceans are in a state,” said Kareem Davy.
Some people treaded deep waters to collect trash that was floating in the ocean and others combined their manpower to move a truck tire filled that would usually weigh 100 pounds now filled with beach sand, water and garbage.
In the end, the teams collected over 3000 pounds of garbage which consisted of 190 pounds of plastic, 380 pounds of glass and 2078 pounds of general waste.
“It was fulfilling to see that we could pick up so much garbage, it is also disappointing to know that there was so much garbage to pick up,” said Davy
Davy said clean-ups like what took place, should happen often and not only on specific days as he said it’s important to protect animals and environment for future generations.
“People who litter need to stop, they need to understand the environmental impacts,” Davy said.
The winner of most vibes and garbage was the blue team and they left the beach with the same energy they came with as they chanted and danced to their own tune, “woi woi whole beach we clean up.”
An estimated 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped in the world’s oceans every year and that is why Suntory wants to hold a beach clean up annually, because while 3000 pounds of trash is a small percentage of what the ocean contains, it’s the start of a wave that could save the world.