More than 50 Rotarians, Rotaractors and community volunteers gave up their Saturday morning to clear Kingston’s shoreline. Plastic bottles topped the list.
Volunteers with the Rotary Club of New Kingston, including young helpers, at Manley Meadows, Macky Beach during the International Coastal Cleanup.
More than 50 volunteers removed 454.5 pounds (approximately 206 kilograms) of garbage from Manley Meadows, Macky Beach on Saturday, as the Rotary Club of New Kingston (RCNK) and the Rotaract Club of New Kingston took part in the 2026 International Coastal Cleanup Day.
The cleanup ran between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. along the shoreline at Manley Meadows, Macky Beach. Sixteen Rotarians and 25 Rotaractors turned out, joined by guests, friends and relatives, including young children. The two clubs take part in the International Coastal Cleanup annually, making it a staple project on their calendars. The site was registered with Beach Cleanup Jamaica, and the event was held under the theme “Clean Coasts. Stronger Communities. One Coast, One Love.”
Bags of litter were weighed on site. Of the total, 79.7 pounds, or about 18 per cent by weight, was plastic, and 374.8 pounds was other garbage. Volunteers also recorded every item they found on the International Coastal Cleanup data sheet, logging 698 pieces in all.
“Considering the small space, a lot was done!” said RCNK President Kimberley Lindo.
Plastic beverage bottles were the most common item, making up about 30 per cent of everything counted. When bottle caps are included, the figure rises to about 40 per cent. Footwear was the next largest category at roughly 13 per cent, while other single-use plastics such as bags, food containers and utensils were also common.
Bulky items linked to illegal dumping, including appliances, construction material and a tire, were also removed, along with hazardous waste such as a syringe, underscoring the health risks that litter poses.
The results show how everyday single-use items end up on the coastline. Litter left on beaches and roadsides can wash into the sea, where it harms marine life and damages the coastal environment that communities depend on.
A volunteer weighs a bag of collected litter on site
Bagged plastic bottles and other litter are loaded for removal.
Organizers are urging the public to dispose of garbage properly, cut back on single-use plastics such as bottles, bags and food containers, and join future cleanups. Protecting the environment is one of Rotary’s areas of focus.
For more information or to find out how to join, contact the Rotary Club of New Kingston at 876-908-3889 or rotaryclubofnewkingston@gmail.com.