SEAOIL Foundation joins Bangar communities in a coastal cleanup that brought residents, local officials, and other groups together to help keep marine waste out of the sea.
A stretch of coastline in Bangar, La Union became a little cleaner after 290 volunteers came together to collect 120 kilograms of waste from three coastal areas.
SEAOIL Foundation joined local officials, uniformed personnel, and community members in the August 21 cleanup, held in partnership with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO).
Volunteers from Bangar’s barangays, the Philippine Coast Guard, and other participating groups worked across Paratong Norte, Paratong 3, and Paratong 4, picking up waste that had accumulated along the coast.
Most of the 120 kilograms collected consisted of residual waste, or materials that cannot be recycled or composted. Left along shorelines, these materials can eventually make their way into the water and pose risks to marine ecosystems.
The number gives a sense of what a single community cleanup can accomplish in a day. It also points to the amount of waste that can be kept away from the sea when people take the time to collect it and dispose of it properly.
Coastal communities have a particularly close relationship with their waterways. Cleaner shorelines mean safer surroundings for residents and less waste that can be carried into the sea by rain, tides, and runoff.
The Bangar cleanup brought together people from different parts of the community around a shared responsibility. While one cleanup cannot solve marine litter on its own, each piece of waste removed is one less item left on the coast.
Communities, schools, companies, civic groups, and even groups of friends can take inspiration from the effort. A cleanup can start with a small group and a stretch of shoreline that needs
attention.
If 290 volunteers can come together to remove 120 kilograms of waste in one day, there is plenty that other groups can do in their own communities too.
