Community Involvement Programme- Annual Coastal Clean-up
by Sara Tom, P5C
On Saturday, 10 March 2018, teachers, students and even parents gathered together to achieve one goal: clean-up the beach. First, we went on the ferry to Discovery Bay. Everyone was very excited and chatted about the clean-up. When we got off, the teachers all led us there. There was some confusion about the route, but we finally made it!
Once we got close to the beach, an unpleasant smell hit us. We couldn’t believe our eyes! There was plastic, candy wrappers, cans, glass and much more scattered everywhere! Even huge items, like washing machines! Luckily for us, we were prepared with heavy-duty gloves to pick up the trash, durable shoes for protection, water for keeping our bodies cool, and trash pickers to pick up things like glass so we would not hurt ourselves. When the teachers gave us permission to start, we darted off, collecting as much trash as possible. Everyone was feeding the ravenous trash bins until they were chock-full. It was equally amazing and heart-breaking to see the amount of trash collected. After an energetic hour, we took a break and went home.
Did you know, approximately HALF A BILLION kilograms of trash ends up in the ocean, and at least 100 MILLION marine animals die just from plastic pollution? Just by spending one hour cleaning the beaches, you can save many endangered marine species, clean the ocean, and create a better living environment for everyone. Not only can you participate in the beach clean-up to help the ocean, but you can also do it in your daily lives! You can Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle! You can do your part now!
For more information, please click on:
www.noaa.gov/resource-collections/ocean-pollution
