2,000 pounds of garbage cleaned up on Station Beach

AN estimated 2,000 pounds of garbage was collected at Station Beach in La Brea today.

This was revealed after an inter-coastal clean-up exercise conducted by the National Gas Company (NGC), Stork and Amalgamated Security Services Ltd. The piles of garbage were found on the coastline by volunteers.

The exercise started at 8 am and ended by noon. Volunteers combed the beach cleaning the entire area.

NGC health, safety and environment manager Curt Cadet led the volunteers on the exercise.

“The International Coastal Clean-up drive is the world's largest volunteer effort to clean our ocean and waterways,” he said.

People all over the world, he said, remove trash from the shores and document what they find. The data is compiled and published in an annual global report on marine debris.

“We are advocates for protecting our environment. The three companies walk the length of the coastline and took up garbage which include plastic bottles, plastic bags, cans, and other waste.”

Adding he said, “It is alarming to see the big heaps we collected with a half mile on this coastal area,"

He further said despite the fact that people know the repercussion of littering they continue to throw out waste on roads and in rivers.

“This waste eventually ends up in the sea and on the coastline. While we are making the effort to clean up the coast here, the community of La Brea and the people of the country need to be conscious of the effects of littering.”

Cadet urged people to reduce the use of plastic bags and plastic bottles as countries all over the world are supporting this initiative. Villagers from La Brea also participated in the clean-up.