Thiruvanmiyur Beach Cleanup
Events Incharge: Nijay Jaison Prasad, Pranjal Shahi
Location: Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai, TN
Notable volunteers: Alan P, Niranjan N, Aksshay S, Nikhil N
India has some of the highest pollution levels in the world and produces about 9.46 million tones of plastic waste annually, with an estimated 40% of it uncollected and often ending up in the ocean. This pollution not only spoils the natural beauty of these coastal areas but also threatens marine life and local livelihoods, especially for fishing communities. This can also be seen in a case recently in Chennai in Marina Beach. Due to the Pongal holidays, many went to visit Marina Beach to enjoy the views and spend quality time. During this time, the beach became very polluted and the sand became difficult to walk on due to the excessive amount of waste. This happened due to a lack of awareness, a lack of trash cans to dispose of waste properly and a decline in sand-sweeping machines. This problem is being handled by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) who campaigned about segregation to spread awareness and also deployed workers to clean the beach. The Greater Chennai Corporation also specified the need for the public’s help to keep public areas clean.
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Local Opinions
“As a teenager growing up near the beach my entire life, it’s really disheartening seeing the sheer amount of litter on the shores everyday. What’s worse is that a lot of people just don’t seem to care about the trash they throw there. That’s why we decided to start hosting beach cleanups—to not only keep the beaches clean but also to show others how important it is to take care of our surroundings. ”
-Nijay, Vice President of Simply Being
"Being a fisherman here has become very hard. After the floods whenever we throw out our nets, we mostly pull up plastic instead of fish. The plastic messes up our nets, and even when we do catch some fish, they're not worth much anymore. We’ve always depended on the sea to take care of our families, but now it’s full of trash, and living has become difficult"
-Local fisherman
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Simply Being was grateful to have hosted our first collaboration with Annette's Club to host a beach cleanup. Our enthusiastic volunteers gathered early in the morning and for 3 hours tackled the litter lining the shoreline of Thiruvanmiyur Beach. We came together to help declutter the beach and pick up litter that could harm the environment or any organisms in the area. Any plastic cups, plates or utensils were properly segregated as dry waste, organic waste was segregated into wet waste and other types of waste were also segregated to ensure that they would be able to be transported to the right place. Based on the type of waste it would then be placed in a compost, would be recycled or be taken to a landfill as a last resort. The litter was collected in eco-friendly bags and taken away to be disposed of properly. The volunteers were able to collect 15 bags worth of litter proving just how much litter could be present on beaches.
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The cleanup made an immediate difference, but its lasting impact lies in the awareness it raised. Many volunteers expressed interest in organizing more cleanups, and our team is already planning additional events. Beyond cleaning the beach, we aim to foster a culture where students and community members feel personally responsible for environmental stewardship.
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