 |
| Volunteers and EPPD staff proudly posed for a photo at the end of a successful ICC 2019 |
International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) 2019
Another year, another successful International Coastal Clean-up (ICC)!
 |
| From L-R, His Excellency Arend Biesebroek, (Ambassador to the EU Delegation T&T), Ms. Keima Gardiner (Waste Management Specialist) and Mr. Fazeer Mohammed on the TV6 Morning Edition programme. |
In preparation for the ICC, the Ministry of Planning and Development in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Trinidad and Tobago participated in the Morning Edition television programme, to raise awareness on the thirty-third (33rd) anniversary of this worldwide data collection initiative.
 |
| Volunteers remove waste at the Foreshore |
The ICC is the largest, annual global volunteer initiative aimed at removing discarded material and debris from waterways and the marine environment, in an effort to restore its integrity. A whopping 220 volunteers came out to the Foreshore to bear the initial sweltering heat, to participate in this year’s exercise.
As the day unavoidably came to an end due to the inclement weather, a still impressive 2090 lbs of garbage and marine debris were removed from the Foreshore coastline. The most popular items found were plastic bags, plastic utensils (forks, knives, spoons), beverage bottles and tiny plastic pieces.
The most unusual items picked up were quite expansive, ranging from a headboard to bike handles, refrigerator parts and even a hair dryer.
Overall, the day was an eventful one, albeit cut short due to the sudden storm that rolled in. The day was filled with most importantly, data collection followed by rain baths, a singular bee sting, in-house garbage hauling and even birthday celebrations.
Photos below show some of the EU's and EPPD's staff, volunteers and trash collected at ICC 2019
