The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) are expressing satisfaction at the results of their recently concluded International Coastal Clean-Up Day 2018 initiative at Hellshire Bay Beach in Portmore St. Catherine on September 15, 2018.
The event which since its inception has consistently ramped up support from hundreds of volunteers annually did not disappoint recording one thousand and fifty (1050) participants spanning service groups and clubs, secondary and tertiary schools as well as corporate and religious institutions at this year’s staging.
According to Danae Vaccianna, Environmental Coordinator at the UDC “... the clean-up of Hellshire Bay Beach has become a staple as it pertains to Jamaica’s participation in ICCD”. She further noted that though the activity is primarily organised by the UDC and NEPA, other institutions and volunteers have owned the event making it a calendar event for their participation.
Volunteers from the Hellshire Bay Beach Clean-up collected four hundred and twenty-one (421) bags of garbage weighing two thousand six hundred and ninety-six (2696) kilograms with the majority of materials collected being non- recyclables ranging from tyres to discarded refrigerators and bathroom fittings among others.

The UDC’s involvement in International Coastal Clean-up Day is but one of several ways the Corporation through its Natural Resources Management and Environmental Planning (NRMEP) arm is championing the cause of ensuring the preservation and conservation of the environment. Since recently the Corporation launched its ‘Bring Yuh Plastic Come
Competition’ which was aimed at not only reducing the amount of waste plastic which may have possibly ended up in the environment, but also influence changes in behaviour patterns where recycling among staff members is concerned.