We had 238 volunteers participate in 28 locations around the Island. Volunteers stuffed into trash and recycle bags 2.85 tons of litter and marine debris. An additional 2.93 tons of loose bulky waste items were also trucked away. That’s nearly 6 tons of trash that was littering the land and our coastal waters that was collected by volunteers and disposed of properly all in one day.
Students from Somersfield, Warwick Academy, Saltus, Northlands, Sandys Secondary Middle School, and Elliot Primary came out. Participation came from Duke of Edinburgh students, Pride Pals groups, and the Dolphin Swim Club. Members of the Bermuda Junior Service League teamed up with ACE Insurance’s Green Team to tackle Horseshoe Bay. Also the Green Team from Fairmont Southampton Princess spent the day cleaning up litter and marine debris at the hotel’s beach and surrounding area. Members of the Devonshire Parish Council worked along the North Shore at Barker’s Hill and were amazed at the amount of debris they discovered hidden in the bushes and along the shoreline. The Police CAT team (Community Action Team) from the East End joined up with local residents in the Crawl area to clean up Burchall’s Cove, Bean’s Bay and the dock at Francis Patton School. Members of the Bermuda Rock Climbers club teamed up with divers from the Sub Aqua Club at Clarence Cove at Admiralty House. Neighbours joined neighbours to clean up. Parents and children made it an educational and fun outing. We had volunteers on land scouring the beaches, and swimmers, snorkelers and divers in the water picking up debris off the ocean floor. Boat and barge operators also joined in to assist.
We are very impressed by the effort that members of our community put into our annual event and want to applaud them. They are a shining example of how to care for our environment on a daily basis.
