Two officers from the US Coast Guard Cutter Munro crew removed huge amount of rubbish at the beach beside Tikaram Park in Lami this morning.
This happened through the partnership between the Lami Town Council and the Embassy of the United States of America.
Travis Willadson who is a Petty Officer 2nd Class in the US Coast Guard says US Coast Guard is more about life saving and environmental protection in fisheries enforcement.
He adds this beach clean up is part of their community work, an initiative which the Embassy of the United States of America in Fiji has taken up with the help from the Lami Town Council to clean up the beach at Tikaram Park.
Willadson says that everything they do begins on land and cleanliness of beaches are the foundations for having healthy marine ecosystem.
Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) volunteers that are residing close to Lami Town were also part of the clean up campaign where they highlighted that most of the rubbish at the beach are from the Capital city and mostly from the surrounding areas close to the park.
JICA volunteer Chinami Hiraiwa says that it is a great initiative to clean up beaches at this time of the season since most Fijian families are aiming to have a beach day during the festive season.
She adds it is the responsibility of the general public to clean beaches since they are the ones who will be using them.
About 300kg of rubbish which includes plastic bottles, beer bottles, rusted cans and tins, broken glasses, clothes, tyres and many more other rubbish was collected at the beach beside Tikaram Park.
