Lifespan partners with Portland students, residents for coastal clean-up

BUFF BAY, PORTLAND

Portland-based bottled spring water company Lifespan Limited partnered with students and residents for a major scouring of the Buff Bay fisherman’s beach area as part of the National Coastal Clean-up Day’s activities on Saturday.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lifespan Nayana Williams said the Buff Bay beach was selected for the exercise as it is an area that is frequently used by residents, including fishermen.

She added, “As part of our corporate social responsibility, we thought it necessary to partner with Liberty Learning Centre and residents to rid the Buff Bay area of waste. The students were very excited, and we ensured that they were made aware of the importance of preserving the environment and the need to rid beaches of garbage. So they were encouraged and were kept busy collecting waste from off the beach.

“Of course, we also had employees from Lifespan who volunteered for the coastal clean-up exercise. We managed to remove the bulk of the waste that was lying on the beach, including plastic bottles, Styrofoam boxes, plastic bags, and a lot of household waste. The plastic bottles were separated and placed in garbage bags, and other refuse was placed separately. It was a good exercise, but we can all agree that more needs to be done to rid our beaches of garbage,” Williams remarked.

Community resident Alton Brown, who was obviously bothered by the amount of household garbage that was collected and removed from the beach, said it is a clear indication that civic pride has broken down.

“There is a definite need for the powers that be to undertake a public education campaign to inform residents about the importance of proper garbage disposal, and also the need to protect the beaches. The dumping of garbage in rivers and gullies is not encouraged, as all the waste ends up in the sea and on our beaches, “ he pointed out.

Approximately 22 bags of garbage were removed from the Buff Bay fisherman’s beach by the volunteers, who covered a distance of about 800 metres under the scorching heat. The garbage was later collected by trucks assigned to the National Solid Waste Management Authority and transported to a dump site.