MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — As they kept a watchful eye out for inclement weather brought on by the approaching Tropical Storm Elsa, more than 60 volunteers still managed to remove more than 200 pounds of garbage from the Old Hospital Park Beach in this coastal city on Saturday.

The decluttering was timely as they anticipated an increase in littering now that beachgoers are once again using the venue after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

The initiative was led by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), alongside Coca-Cola Jamaica and the non-profit group Ocean Conservancy. They were joined by volunteers from Montego Bay Park Marine Trust, Operation Help the People, University of Technology, Jamaica, Western Campus as well as Corinaldi Avenue and Barracks Road primary schools.

The goal was to remove as much garbage as possible from the coastline, with a heavy focus on getting rid of plastic bottles. The volunteers worked in three shifts throughout the day and made sure to observe all COVID-19 protocols.

“I am glad that we could we could execute this clean-up successfully despite the impending threat of Elsa,” said JET Programme Director Lauren Creary who added that she was pleased with the turnout.

“These activities are not only important because they remove garbage from the beach; they also raise public awareness about proper solid waste disposal in Jamaica,” added Creary.

The project is part of the Coca-Cola Foundation’s ongoing work with Ocean Conservancy — an environmental advocacy group based in Washington, DC, which has set its sights on 13 clean-up efforts in Jamaica and other Caribbean countries.

In addition to periodic coastal clean-ups, they also seek to promote recycling through webinars and online educational platforms with a recycling course to prevent marine pollution.

“We are excited about our support of this coastal clean-up programme which contributes to a culture of recycling through tangible and awareness-raising actions to reduce marine pollution and debris,” said chair of the Coca-Cola Foundation Beatriz R Perez who added that Coca-Cola Jamaica and its bottling partner Wisynco are also on board.

Education and outreach officer of the Montego Bay Park Trust, Sharlinda Forrester, who worked alongside her team on Saturday, was happy with the results.

“I am pleased with the initiative and happy with the turnout,” she said. “As the entertainment sector is reopening and curfew hours relaxed we can expect more persons using the beach and this will result in more depositing of garbage along the coastline. So this clean-up effort is appreciated,” said Forrester.

University of Technology, Western Campus students collected more than 100 pounds of refuse from the beach.

Volunteering to be a part of the beach clean-up, explained campus chair Jessica Campbell, was their way of giving back to the society.

“What better way to do so than to give back to our environment?” said Campbell.