260 million tons. The amount of plastic used worldwide every year. 1 trillion. The number of plastic bags consumed. 1000 years. The time it takes for a plastic bag to degrade. 180. The species of marine wildlife affected by ingestion of plastic waste. These numbers are not merely statistics but the indicators of a problem of massive proportions. The International Coast Cleanup (ICC) is an initiative that takes concrete steps towards minimizing, documenting and generating awareness for this pandemic.
The ICC is an annual event where volunteers collect waste and collate data on the garbage and debris accumulating on shorelines of the world s lakes, rivers and oceans. It is conducted simultaneously in about hundred countries, coordinated by a non-profit US-based agency, The Ocean Conservancy and in Sinagpore, it is organized by volunteers from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research. It was held on the 17th of September and Earthlink NTU participated in the event for the eighth time, continuing to support the cause this year as well. Earthlink s contribution to ICCS is being awarded at the Biodiversity of Singapore Symposium III, presented by Minister of State for National Development, BG (NS) Tan Chuan-Jin.
The group, comprising of NTU students from different schools, reached the site, Pandan Mangrove, at eight in the morning. After a briefing by the zone manager about the safety measures and data collection method, the volunteers got down to clearing the trash from the allocated areas. Plastic bottles, bags, styrofoam and other different kinds of trash material were gathered, while each group kept counting and categorizing the collected items on data cards to ensure a proper records. These go on to influence laws and policies governing the management of waste in different parts of the world.
The coastal cleanup was both a fun and a fruitful experience for everyone involved and after two hours of hard work, Earthlink managed to collect 96.5 kgs of waste, contributing to the total 1,977 kgs collected in the South Zone. The club hopes that this adds to the cumulative effect of the entire movement and goes a long way in ensuring and maintaining the purity of coastal areas in Singapore.