ST THOMAS, Jamaica — Groups of Jamaicans, such as schools and community organisations, are being encouraged to play a more proactive role in caring for the island’s beaches by making beach clean-up a regular activity.

The call comes from co-chair of the Destination Assurance Council for St Thomas, Travis Smith, while speaking to JIS News on International Coastal Clean-up Day, September 19.

Scores of volunteers representing members of the council as well as students and other organisations joined hands and hearts to clean the Rocky Point Beach in the parish, in commemoration of the annual observance.

“I think this is something that we should get the community involved in at least once a month. Why wait until International Coastal Clean-up Day? If we get the schools organised to come out and do it once a month I think it will be more impactful, but this is a start,” Smith said.

He pointed out that for eastern parishes like St Thomas, some of the garbage and debris found on the coast have been washed ashore from neighbouring countries.

With Rocky Point beach a major fishing village, Smith also noted that cleaning of the beach not only improves its appearance and makes it more welcoming for swimmers, but it also improves the activities of fisherfolk.

“Keeping the beach clean is not just for people to come in and swim, but it’s also for the fisherfolk going out. The debris coming in would be a hazard for the fisherfolk with the boats and the propellers and stuff like that and just general sanitation,” Smith said.

Manager for the Portland and St Thomas Destinations, Kishan Bailey, underscored further that International Coastal Clean-up Day is “a way to safeguard the beach coastline and also marine life”.

Reflecting on the initiative at Rocky Point, he explained that “because we mobilise stakeholders within the destination, we try to see how best we can collaborate with various stakeholders such as the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, the Rotary Club of Kingston East and Port Royal, and Morant Bay High School”.

Junior teacher responsible for the Tourism in Action Club at the Morant Bay High School, Yanique Ricketts, attended the beach clean-up with eight of her students.

The group assisted in the removal of plastic bottles, glass bottles, paper containers, food boxes, plates, forks and cups from the white sand shoreline of the popular beach.

Ricketts told JIS News that, “quite a large percentage of Jamaica’s income is from tourism and so, tourists love beaches. So please, ‘nuh dutty up Jamaica’, keep [the beaches] clean so we can have more tourists”.

Student, Jamilla Brown, added that the clean-up was “to help give back to the community because even though the community has a lot of people, sometimes not everyone wants to help clean up a beach. So, this is a way to help give back to the community and take care of our land”.

Following the clean-up at Rocky Point, some members of the group journeyed to the neighbouring parish of Portland where more beaches were targeted.

—    JIS