For immediate release

NEPA Celebrates International Coastal Clean Up Day…
… Focuses Attention on Half-Moon Bay, Hellshire

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has planned a beach clean-up of the Half-Moon Bay, Hellshire, St. Catherine in observation of International Coastal Clean Up Day. International Coastal Clean-Up Day will be celebrated this year on September 20, 2003.

Members of the non-governmental (NGO) community and other social and civic organizations in Portmore have been invited to participate. Activities get underway at eight in the morning and finish at noon.

The National Environment Societies Trust (NEST), through its sister agencies, is also coordinating several beach clean ups across Jamaica.

The Portland Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) will clean several beaches in the parish including the Rodney Hall, Hope Bay Fishing, Buff Bay Fisherman’s and Bryan’s Bay fishing beaches. The East Harbour Port Antonio, Folly, Long Bay, Machioneal and Long Road Beaches, in the parish will also be cleaned.

The International School of Jamaica will host two clean ups in Rio Nuevo Beach and Robin’s Bay in St. Mary.

The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) will clean the Palisadoes Beach in Kingston for the tenth consecutive year.

On the North Coast, the Montego Bay Marine Park (MPMP) will focus attention on marine and terrestrial sties in Almond Acres, Old Hospital Beach and the Sergeant Major Reef area.

The St. Ann Environment Protection Agency (STAEPA) will join forces with the Kiwanis Club to clean the Ocho Rios Fishing Beach this year.

In the east, the Elder Park Beach in Morant Bay, will be cleaned this year by the St. Thomas Environment Protection Association

At the same time, the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Societies Trust (NCRPST) and the Negril Environment Protection Trust (NEPT) will collaborate with other organisations to conduct underwater and community cleanups in parts of Westmoreland and Hanover. Clean-up sites include Xtabi to Blue Cave Castle, South Negril (River to Hi Lo) and Rock House.

International Coastal Clean-Up Day is traditionally celebrated on the third Saturday in September. All around the world, on this day, volunteers go onto beaches to remove debris and other garbage accumulated there.

During the exercise, information on the garbage collected is recorded. This provides valuable data on the nature of the solid waste that eventually ends up on the world’s beaches. This year will be the eighteenth anniversary of International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Citizens from several countries across the world will participate in this year’s activities. Last year, over 8.2 million pounds of trash were collected during 2002 International Coastal Clean Up activities worldwide, according to information released at the2003 International Coastal Cleanup Conference earlier this year.