Be part of the 30th International Coastal Cleanup – join us @ Tanah Merah 7, Singapore on Sat 19 Sep 2015!

On Sat 19 Sep 2015, more than half a million volunteers around the world will participate in the 30th International Coastal Cleanup! And as the sun rises over Singapore, some 3,500 volunteers from 68 different organisations will hit the beaches and mangroves of Singapore in what will be our 24th year!

If you are not from an organisation or group but want to be part of ICC Singapore 2015, look no further – join the NUS Toddycats & Independents team who will battle marine trash at Tanah Merah 7. We join five other organisations on that 900 metre long beach on Sat 19 Sep 2015: 8.00am – 11.00am.

Registration has closed! Thanks for indicating your interest.
Transport will be provided from Tanah Merah MRT, so please sign up early

Why Cleanup? In Singapore, our coastlines host a vast amount of biodiversity. Trash present in these areas can impact our wildlife adversely and devalue the natural beauty of the landscape. Volunteers in Singapore, like other concerned individuals around the world, conduct coastal cleanups to remove this trash, raise awareness about the impact of marine trash, and motivate us to adopt sustainable practises in daily urban living.

Tanah Merah Beach 7 is a state land located in the east of Singapore, next to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal (TMFT). This area is closed to members of the public and permission is needed for each access. The coastline of Tanah Merah 7 is alive with critters, big and small – read more about it here.

But amidst creatures lie heaps of plastic and styrofoam.

If you want to know more about what to expect on the day, see photos from ICCS 2014!

Come join us to make a difference on these shores!

Itinerary 

• 7:30am – Transport from Tanah Merah MRT to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal Car Park (meeting point).
• 8.00am – Briefing and identification of the Trash Disposal Point (TDP). Wet weather plans (stop for lighting threat). Organise into groups of four participants, apply insect repellant, collect gloves and trash bags; walk to site.
• 8.15am – Cleanup begins @ TM7 Beach
• 9.30am – Cleanup end. Weigh trash, report data summary (under shade!); discussion/ reflection.
• 10.00am – Transportation of trash to TDP.
• 10.30am – Participants clean up. Toilets are available at the Ferry Terminal building.
• 10.45am – Event ends; bus leaves from Tanah Merah MRT.

Things to note

1. Gloves, trash bags and weighing scales are provided.
2. You must wear hard-soled covered shoes or booties to to protect your feet from hazards. Without appropriate footwear, you will not be allowed on the site.
3. A change of clothes is recommended after a sweaty workout.
4. Long pants are recommended to protect your legs from insect bites, but bermudas are fine if you are tolerant or unaffected.
5. If there is a drizzle, we will continue the cleanup with our wet weather gear. If there are strong winds or lightning threat, we will halt the event.

Things to bring:

1. Water bottle (with at least one litre of water)
2. Hat and/or sun block
3. Reusable raincoat/poncho or umbrella
4. Towel to wipe off sand and mud

Be prepared:

1. Sleep early the night before
2. Have a decent breakfast – it’s a hard morning’s work!
3. Be punctual – we are unable to wait for latecomers; the tide waits for no one!
4. Refer to this recce report of TM7 for more information on the cleanup site.
5. Please read our advice to participants to prepare yourself for the cleanup!

Thank you for caring for the environment!

A painting to persuade reflection – how green is your coastal cleanup?

Organising a coastal cleanup is a noble action – participants unburden a habitat of marine trash. When we further highlight the biodiversity of a site, after a cleanup, they are gladdened by the realisation of the specific creatures they have helped with this immediate action!

Sensitivity when working in a precious habitat is critical – so we prepare participants to minimise impact in our mangrove cleanups by avoiding seedlings, small crabs and other marine life as they move about. We never need to run and move slowly and steadily instead!

Now, a well-meaning, enthusiastic but new Organiser may inadvertently generate more trash than their participants manage to clean off their beach site! To help them avoid this, we suggest a few ideas to Organisers at the ICCS workshop and in the final email before the cleanup:

1. Have participants bring their own water bottles – this reduces waste generation by the disposal of single use plastic bottles. Bottled NEWater may be freely available for distribution but are too small for the physical exertion of a 90-minute cleanup. This means providing several bottles of NEWater per person and should definitely be avoided!
2. Avoid catering food in disposal containers like styrofoam or other plastic. Sure we love to eat but this can generate more trash than you might remove from a beach! Which then makes us wonder, how about “reduce”?
3. Single-use banners with a lengthy date printed boldly is only useable for one year. To ensure reuse, just print the year or leave an empty slot for the year. A creative paint-over will do the trick! Even better, and much easier is to add a digital banner to the group photo later!


Intern Becky Lee has added a visual touch to the usual message this year – she has provided us with this poster to email our ICCS 2015 Organisers. We certainly hope this painting will encourage everyone to adopt an environmental-friendly cleanup on Saturday, 19th September 2015 – the expectation is clear!