HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The island is now a bit cleaner, thanks to the many volunteers of the 2022 Guam International Coastal Cleanup, which was held Saturday morning.
Founded in 1986, by the Ocean Conservancy was the International Coastal Cleanup.
The Ocean Conservancy has inspired millions of volunteers worldwide to remove and record trash during each cleanup for nearly four decades.
Guam started with more than 400 volunteers and just three sites, which were in the villages of Hågat, Tamuning and Yona, first joining the global effort in October 1995.
The annual event, which aims to prevent pollution, has now grown to over 5,000 volunteers and nearly 30 cleanup sites as of 2021, which is voluntarily organized locally by the Bureau of Statistics and Plans Guam Coastal Management Program.
The Guam Daily Post was at one of the sites Saturday on the sunny, hot day where volunteers from the private sector, schools, government of Guam agencies, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies, to name a few, were seen picking up trash as early as 7 a.m.
The Post spoke with a couple of volunteers of the island’s largest cleanup, who shared a message to the community to pick up after themselves.
Stephen Gozun, 16, a sophomore student at John F. Kennedy High School in Tamuning, volunteered to collect trash from the Gov. Joseph Flores Memorial Park, Ypao Beach.
He is in his second year of high school and was looking to earn credits and service learning hours.
“Because sophomore and freshman have to do service learning hours, that’s why I am cleaning,” said Gozun. “It feels pretty good. It’s cleaning our beaches and our island.”
Another student from the Home of the Islanders who was up bright and early to clean up the island was Courtney Scharff.
Scharff, 14, is a freshman at JFK, and shared her first-time experience.
“Yes, it was. It’s really hot for the first time. It’s good to clean up our beach,” said Scharff.
Aluminum cans, plastic and beer bottles, among other garbage, were the waste collected and sitting in their black trash bags ready for disposal.
More than 8,500 pounds of junk was cleaned up by volunteers in 2018, according to Post files.
“Stop littering and pick up the trash when you’re done,” Gozun said.
Aluminum cans, plastic and beer bottles, were some of the waste collected during the 2022 Guam International Coastal Cleanup, Saturday. Courtney Scharff, left, and Stephen Gozun volunteered at the island’s largest cleanup at Gov. Joseph Flores Memorial Park, Ypao Beach.
