CONTINUING its mission to create and maintain a sense of environmental stewardship among community members, the Sandals Foundation rallied more than 700 volunteers across Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, The Bahamas, Curaçao, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the largest one-day volunteer event in the world — International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD).

Across western Jamaica, 150 volunteers collected more than 1,500 pounds of solid waste from local coastal landscapes, reinforcing their commitment to marine conservation and community activism.

Volunteers from Sandals Resorts International, the Scotia Foundation, Sangster’s International Airport, and Negril Chamber of Commerce came together at the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, Whitehouse Beach, Rio Nuevo Beach and Negril Beach for the clean-up.

For the Sandals Foundation, these locations are particularly special as part of continuing to give careful attention to communities that were affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October.

Whitehouse, a community with deep ties to the Sandals Foundation, has been home to the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary — its office acting as a community centre and base of operation for sanctuary wardens — since 2015.

At the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, continued collaboration between the Sandals Foundation and respective partners helps coastal communities chart their next chapter with strength and certainty.

White House fisherman Omar Dickson (second right), joins Sandals Foundation volunteers (from left) Rochelle Hyman, Rayo Reid, and Tamara Brown for a cleanup activity at the White House fishing beach on International Coastal Cleanup Day 2026.

Since its inception in 2013, the Sandals Boscobel Special Fishery Conservation Area has contributed to major improvements in the surrounding marine space that touches the communities of Rio Nuevo, Stewart Town, and Boscobel. This made the Rio Nuevo Beach a prime location for ICCD.

In Negril, team members from Sandals Negril Beach Resort partnered with the National Environment and Planning Agency, to beautify Negril Beach, an area close to home and their hearts.

Environmental manager at the Sandals Foundation Georgia Scarlett said: “We are pleased to continue our participation in ICCD. For over a decade we have administered beach and underwater clean-up activities across the Caribbean with several volunteers, while ensuring that everyone engaged understands that small acts of solid waste management are key in conservation.

“Together with students, fishers, community residents, and other charities, we will continue to protect marine ecosystems through these activities.”

Since 2009, the Sandals Foundation has mobilised close to 200,000 people in various environmental conservation efforts including marine sanctuary management, coral restoration, environmental education, and biodiversity conservation across the Caribbean.