Rose Hall Developments leads major beach cleanup, boosts community action

In a robust display of environmental stewardship, Rose Hall Developments spearheaded a major coastal cleanup Saturday morning, galvanising community participation in collaboration with the St James Municipal Corporation.

For over 15 years, the company has supported beach cleanups organised by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET).

According to Rick Burrowes, president of Rose Hall Development, this year, the initiative assumed a broader scope, engaging local residents, schools, and businesses to clean up the Rose Hall Beach.

“Normally, we send out 40 or 50 of our team members, but this year we decided to step it up, hundreds of people came out, and the impact has been incredible,” Burrowes said.

“On one little section of the beach, I would estimate we collected hundreds of pounds of plastic bottles. We probably filled up 30 to 40 large garbage bags just with our small team,” he noted.

The effort received robust support from Mayor of Montego Bay, Richard Vernon, who underscored the importance of protecting the coastline.

“Montego Bay is a coastal city, and more than 50 per cent of our population lives within five miles of the shoreline,” Vernon said. “Protecting our marine life and keeping drains clear are essential to building resilience against storms, surges, and flooding.”

International Coastal Cleanup Day is a global initiative aimed at removing trash from the world's beaches and waterways. It engages millions of volunteers in this annual global initiative to help combat ocean pollution and raise awareness about the impact of litter on marine life and ecosystems.

Albert Ferguson

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