NEPA Invites Volunteers for International Coastal Cleanup Day

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is inviting members of the public to volunteer for activities marking International Coastal Cleanup Day 2026, which is being observed under the theme ‘Sea the Change, Away is A Place’.

Beaches Officer at NEPA, Ebonique Blair told JIS News that the theme, set by the Jamaica Environment Trust, calls on persons to rethink how they view waste, where it ends up, its impact on coastlines and their responsibility for protecting the marine environment.

“It places the sea at the centre of our message. It encourages people to not only see environmental problems affecting our beaches and our coastlines, but to be a part of the change required to address them,” Ms. Blair said.

She explained that a plastic bottle thrown on the ground can travel through a drain into a river and eventually reach the sea.

“That place could be a beach, a river, a community, or even the ocean. What we do with our waste matters. There is no true ‘away’. Every item that we throw away has somewhere to go,” Ms. Blair said.

For International Coastal Cleanup Day, NEPA and its partners have identified flagship sites in the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area and in Hellshire, St. Catherine.

The flagship activities will be held at Shipwreck Beach along the Palisadoes in Kingston on September 19 and at Hellshire Bay Beach in St. Catherine on September 20, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. each day.

Other cleanups will be conducted at satellite sites on September 19 at Negril Beach Park, Sturridge Park, End of Stones and Parottee. A special underwater cleanup will also take place at West End in Negril.

Participants are advised to meet at the entrance to each location on the respective days.

“The entrance will be marked by feather banners of the partners and sponsors of the activity. Shipwreck is located near the Norman Manley International Airport directly across from the FedEx building. It serves as the first entry point to the beach after exiting the roundabout that leads to Port Royal,” Ms. Blair noted.

Persons can register by visiting NEPA’s website, nepa.gov.jm where the registration link will be displayed on the home page.

The link will take volunteers directly to the registration platform, where they can enter their details for the activity. The deadline for signing up is September 14.

“We’re encouraging our participants to wear light-coloured clothing and also wear a hat with neck protection, close-toe footwear, and to apply reef-safe sunblock,” Ms. Blair said.

Sponsors include the National Baking Company Foundation, the Association of Science Teachers of Jamaica, the Urban Development Corporation, the Jamaica Broilers Group, Kingston Wharves, Juicy Patties, the Development Bank of Jamaica, Caribbean Dream and Total Energies