More than 100 volunteers organised by the Jamaica National Group and its partners converged on the Sirgany Beach in east Kingston last Saturday, in a pre-Labour Day effort to remove more than 1,160 kilogrammes of waste from the shoreline.

The team of volunteers was joined by minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda.

The team consisted of employees of the JN Group, JN Group Ambassador and popular recording artiste Agent Sasco, as well as members of the Earth Ambassadors service club.

The initiative forms part of the JN Group’s Environmental Sustainability Programme, which will be fully launched later this year.

The programme is geared at supporting environmental awareness practices in Jamaica by focusing on key areas such as: deforestation, waste management, water conservation and energy efficiency.

Saniah Spencer, chief of marketing at the JN Group, said the volunteers sifted through garbage and debris to identify, separate and document PET bottles and general waste to ensure their safe and appropriate removal from the seaside. In total 105 bags of waste were collected from the small beach.

“JN has always been environmentally conscious and focused on promoting best practices through the JN Foundation, particularly through our ongoing initiatives, such as the JN Circle networks across the country and The Water Project Jamaica,” said Spencer.

She said JN chose Sirgany Beach because of its impact on the Kingston Harbour, which is the seventh largest natural harbour in the world, and is severely polluted.

JN Group Ambassador, Agent Sasco, who is an environmental advocate, called the JN exercise an important initiative that will assist to reduce degradation.

“Sustainability is something I take great pride in and fully understand the importance of it. I’m expecting to see a kind of change that will be transformational in terms of how we approach dealing with our waste,” said Agent Sasco, whose real name is Jeffrey Campbell.