Family and Friends Clean Portmore’s Boardwalk Beach

Twenty-three-year-old Portmore resident, Tiffani Barrett, got together a group of her family members and friends to clean the Boardwalk Beach in the St. Catherine community on Saturday (September 17).

The group of 12 volunteers, most of whom live in Portmore and regularly enjoy the use of the recreational space, removed plastic and glass bottles, Styrofoam containers, empty snack bags, used baby diapers and other forms of waste strewn along the shore and the roadside leading to the beach.

Ms. Barrett told JIS News that the International Coastal Clean-up Day (ICCD) activity, organised through her non-profit organisation, the Supernova Foundation, was to “show some love to the Earth.”

She said it also aimed to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of the environment.

Ms. Barrett lamented that people continue to show scant regard for the environment by the indiscriminate disposal of garbage.

“On a regular day, most people throw their garbage out of [car] windows and don’t give it a second thought but we’re here [to change that],” she told JIS News.

She said, however, that there is reason to be optimistic as more persons become more conscious about environmental issues and join in activities such as ICCD.

“More than one group was here today with us, so I do see people taking more notice. I hear people, even on social media, complaining about the commonplace of garbage within our environment and how distasteful it is,” she said.

“So, I think people are waking up to the problem we’re facing and getting angered and [that] fuels a need for change,” she noted further.

Ms. Barrett said that through her foundation, she will continue to organise beach and city clean-up activities, while spreading awareness about proper solid waste management.

She is also hoping to join with other like-minded individuals to influence policy.

“I’m personally studying policy-making for solid waste management, so I’m confident that other persons in my shoes can come together and say hey, we thought about this [for policy change],” she told JIS News.

Ms. Barrett is also encouraging the public to consider using eco-friendly products that will “give back to the environment.”

These include reusable water bottles, bamboo toothbrushes, and mesh produce bags to replace single-use plastics and more.

“Also important, is to separate your waste. If you have access to land, don’t throw your vegetable scraps or food in the bin, compost it instead,” Ms. Barrett urged.

Meanwhile, 21-year-old Matthew McKenzie, who was among the volunteers, said he sees the cleaning of the environment “as a duty”.

“I believe it is our duty –as much as it’s not our personal garbage – to protect and clean up our country. It really doesn’t look good seeing garbage on the road. There’s no reason for it to be on the ground, it doesn’t belong there… it is not sanitary,” he told JIS News.

“I know the thought in a lot of people’s minds is ‘it is not my garbage,’ but it’s still going to affect you, even if it’s not you, who left it there,” he emphasised.

Another volunteer, 27-year-old Erica Campbell said, “the earth provides so much for us and it is just a simple job to make sure you put the garbage where it’s supposed to be.”

“It’s good when you have a healthy environment. You can do better, feel better, think better…so that’s why I think it is good to have these mini-clean-ups, even if it is just a few of us…we can still get the work done,” she noted.

Safeguarding the environment is a priority of the Government. Laws have been implemented to protect wildlife, forests, watersheds and beaches, and there is a ban on single use plastics.

The Administration has also designated several protected areas in keeping with the country’s target of having 30 per cent of its land mass and 30 per cent of its marine areas protected by 2030.