Jamaica joined communities around the world on Saturday, September 19, for International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day 2026, with 162 cleanups carried out by 129 groups across all 14 parishes.

The annual event, coordinated nationally by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), mobilised communities, schools, businesses, government agencies and other organisations to remove litter from beaches, rivers, gullies and other waterways while documenting the amount and type of waste collected.

JET’s flagship cleanup at the Palisadoes Go-Kart Track in Kingston brought together 665 volunteers, who collected more than 4,800 pounds of garbage, approximately 2,000 pounds less than was collected at the same site in 2025. JET sees this reduction as a positive trend.

“Our goal should ultimately be to no longer need cleanups. But to get there, we need to improve our solid waste management infrastructure and disposal practices, while also reducing the amount of waste we generate in the first place. Much of the waste we find along our coasts is plastic, so we also need to look at reducing the amount of plastic being used in the products and packaging placed on the market,” said Dr Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, CEO of JET.

JET Project Manager, Mrs Jonelle Wright-Smellie, said the islandwide participation demonstrates the continued commitment of Jamaicans to addressing marine litter.

“We had 129 groups carrying out cleanups this year, and we are grateful to every site coordinator and volunteer who gave their time to make ICC Day possible. We are now collecting and reviewing the data from all the sites, which will give us a clearer picture of what was found across the country.”

The ICC cleanup data is used to identify the types and quantities of waste found at sites across Jamaica and is submitted to Ocean Conservancy as part of the organisation’s global marine debris database.

JET is currently compiling the data submitted by site coordinators and will use the results to prepare its 2026 National ICC Report, which will be published in January 2027.

JET thanks the volunteers, site coordinators, sponsors and partners who participated in and supported ICC Day 2026.