Over 250 Bags Of Garbage Collected In Castries Cleanup

Seventy volunteers filled over 250 bags with garbage during a cleanup in Castries on Sunday.

From about 6:00 am, the volunteers worked along the Alan Bousquet and Choc Highways, headed for the Vigie Roundabout, and ended at Vigie Beach at noon.

The participants included crew and passengers of the vessel -Freewinds, members of the St. Joseph’s Convent Key Clubbers, and officers from the Vulnerable Persons Team (VPT) of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).

Diane Felicien CEO and Founder of Do Nation Foundation and the Good Deeds Day Leader for the Caribbean, praised the turnout, telling St. Lucia Times that organisers expected more volunteers, but realised that the weather impacted participation.

Felicien said they collected items, including plastic waste, glass bottles and cigarette butts.

“The bus stop areas were unbelievable. There was one bus stop where we got 15 bags of garbage,” she disclosed.

Felicien felt the situation underscored the need for continuing education to help people realise indiscriminate garbage disposal’s negative impact on the environment, including Saint Lucia’s waterways.

She acknowledged the support of the cleanup activity’s main sponsor, Massy Stores, the Saint Lucia Hospitality Credit Union, and the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority, which provided garbage bags and gloves.

“Good deeds day is a day that we do good, we speak good and we think good. So we continue to encourage people to do good to the environment,” CEO and Founder of Do Nation Foundation and the Good Deeds Day Leader for the Caribbean stated.

Last year, Felicien’s organisation participated in a similar cleanup, starting from the Choc Roundabout and ending at Massy Stores Rodney Bay.

At that time, volunteers collected two truckloads of garbage.

“It is something we do annually, but it is something we would wish to do monthly because there is a need for it. If you drive along our highways, you will see the amount of garbage there. We wish we could do it monthly, but then we do it annually or we do it as we see the need,” Felicien told St. Lucia Times.