Beaches are dynamic land-sea interfaces, acting as a buffer against high winds and waves, and play an important role in providing natural facilities for coastal tourism, recreation, fisheries, and other important services. A clean beach is the primary indicator of a healthy coastal environment. Harmful materials including litter, plastic, sewage, and other debris, result in beach pollution, causing deterioration to marine life and ecology, human health, and coastal tourism. Being the prime sites for human recreation, beaches underpin many coastal economies. In terms of the percentage composition of the beach litter, plastics formed approximately 60–80% of the total load of beach litter. Litter presence negatively affects ocean wildlife because of the entanglement of animals in abandoned nets, fishing lines, as well as human health and causes the aesthetic deterioration of beaches and loss of associated economic value.
Careful management of vital coastal resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals - a call for action by all countries - include “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” in its Goal no. 14. Beach clean-up is important to restore the beach environment for removing solid litter and organic debris, deposited on a beach by the tide, inland transport via river flow, fishing, local visitors, or tourists.
International Coastal Clean-up, the largest volunteer effort for ocean's health, has been in action in partnership with volunteer organizations and individuals around the globe to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways. Over the years, international coastal clean-up has gained momentum. India, among the G20 Nations, is also committed to reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICCD) is celebrated on the third Saturday of September every year. The day is observed to encourage people to free beaches from garbage, raise awareness about preserving and protecting the World’s Ocean and waterways, and to solve the problem of trach in the ocean. The first ICCD was celebrated in 1986, by Ocean Conservancy in United States in late 1980’s. Today, more than 63 countries, both coastal and landlocked, have joined the Clean Seas Campaign with ambitious pledges and important commitments to prevent marine litter and plastic pollution through beach clean-up programs, emphasising the value of the “source to sea” approach.
View More
