News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore » punggol

Punggol Squeaky Clean (II)

weisiongg — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:29:42 +0000

Choppy sea. Gloomy sky.

This didn’t deter the 22 volunteers from Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple. They tackled Punggol Beach with zest and enthusiasm. The trash load was light; the source of the debris was mainly from shoreline and waterway activities.

Zeng Rong, the organiser, did a great job by briefing the volunteers on the objectives of the cleanup and the method of collecting data, before heading out to the beach. Thus, everyone knew what to do and the cleanup went smoothly.

Although the trash load was light, there were many small items such as fragmented debris like styrofoam bits , bottle caps and and fishing lines.

However, it showered on participants at about 10.15am, an hour after the cleanup had begun. So they ended a little earlier and began weighing the trash. ZengRong did a debrief , took group pictures and ended the cleanup .

The cheery spirit I witnessed was admirable. A great job by both the volunteers and the organiser, well done folks!

Punggol Squeaky Clean

weisiongg — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 08:44:42 +0000

The cause? 47 volunteers from Queensway Secondary School. Total estimated weight of trash collected = 193kg.

The volunteers were from uniformed groups — Girl Guides, National Cadet Corps and National Police Cadet Corps. The volunteers started at 9.30am, tough and efficient they were, they combed the beach and finished the cleanup in less than 1.5hours.

Doing a cleanup in Punggol is never about brute force. The Punggol shoreline is littered with rocks covered with barnacles and most of the marine debris is trapped in between the rocks. Huge amount of effort and energy is needed to dislodge or remove them.

Five secondary-3 girl guides were appointed as Site Buddies for the cleanup. They were involved in helping the teachers-in-charge oversee the site, and consolidation of data – they did a great job!

After taking group photos, and a debrief by their teacher-in-charge, Miss Latifah, the cleanup ended with a loud cheer.

Cheers for Queensway, cheers for organisers, and cheers for the volunteers!

Fast Action at Punggol Beach!

Sivasothi — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:31:09 +0000

This year, 240 enthuastic students from Sembawang Secondary School
tackled this man-made beach – they were so excited that they almost
forgot to record the data!

Armed with their own household plastic bags, they hunted high and low among the rocks to fill their bags. At the end of the hour, they removed every plastic bag and bottles. And the main item of the 216kg worth of trash collected at Punggol this morning, styrofoam topped the list!

Thanks to Sembawang Secondary School. They came, collected and left a clean beach behind!

Lim Chen Kee
North East Zone Coordinator
International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Posted by email from International Coastal Cleanup Singapore (posterous)