Activists keep up battle against plastic

(CNS): Activists from Plastic Free Cayman joined forces with young environmentalists from Protect Our Future and local divers in three separate beach and ocean clean-up events this weekend in Beach Bay, George Town Harbour and Smith Cove. Between them, volunteers picked up and hauled out over 1,250 pounds of garbage, much of it plastic and micro-plastics, which pose a significant threat to marine life and the food chain.

With people still over-using plastic, as well as a very busy storm season and major waste-management problems around the region, local waters and beaches pay the price with trash mounting around our coastline. Over 90 people above and below the water hauled the ocean debris and local litter at all three locations.

While activists continue to press the government to take direct action on single-use plastics, the proposed ban for 2021 has been placed on hold because the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be preventing the ministry from addressing this critical issue.

While they remain hopeful that the authorities will take action at some point, in the meantime the activists are urging people to take responsibility for the garbage they generate, especially plastic, and re-think its use.

Protect Our Future VP Dejea Lyons (17) said the garbage we generate on land inevitably ends up in the ocean. “We all just need to do our part of properly disposing of or recycling our trash. If we continue to litter, our biodiversity will be affected, impacting all of us whether we realise it or not,” she warned.

Meanwhile, Victoria Mann from Plastic Free Cayman, who coordinated the clean-ups, said she could not believe how much debris the volunteers removed from George Town Harbour, as she thanked Cayman Diving for their help.