A TOTAL of 960 pounds of trash was removed at the Old Man by the Sea in a cleanup facilitated by Island Keepers CNMI on Saturday and Sunday.
Based on the final tally, a total of 136 volunteers participated in the activity.
“The number of volunteers we have this year is more than what we had last year — we are happy that many people participated,” Island Keepers CNMI President Noriko Baidya told Variety.
As for the trash collected this year, they were mostly microplastics, she added.
She is encouraging community members not to leave plastics in beach areas since plastics are not biodegradable and could be washed away to the sea and eaten by fish.
“The fish eats the plastic and then we eat the fish. We end up eating the plastic,” she added.
She wants to thank the following sponsors and volunteers: Grace Christian Academy, Adventures with DAN 670, Tasi to Table, Saipan Humane Society, the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Saipan Southern High School, Marianas High School, Chinese Group, SSC, Saipan Fashion Co., DCRM, MEI Dive 1968, Selfish Saipan Inc., Garapan Elementary School, HMS, Seventh-day Adventists, William S. Reyes Elementary School, Casa Urashima, OPD, Sakura Marine, Super Fish Diving Saipan and Saipan Adventure.
“Now the beach is beautiful, clean and it looks perfect! We are very happy to work with more sponsors this year. It shows how they all deeply love the island,” Baidya said.
These “before” and “after” photos were taken by the volunteers who cleaned up Old Man by the Sea on March 25-26, 2023.
