Coca‑Cola® Kewkradong clean-up: 1450kg debris removed from St Martin’s Island

The Coca‑Cola System in Bangladesh in partnership with Kewkradong Bangladesh conducted a coastal clean-up and removed 1,450kg marine debris from the shores of St Martin Island.

A total of 500 participants took part in this cleanup project conducted as part of Coca Cola's global initiative for a world without waste. Kewkradong Bangladesh is the country coordinator of Ocean Conservancy, said a press release today.

This is the 11th consecutive year that these two organisations have teamed up as part of the annual "International Coastal Cleanup".

The volunteers included locals of Saint Martin's to people from all across the nation, coming from different professions and several reputed universities.

The event was organised in sync with the 33rd annual International Coastal Cleanup.

The International Coastal Clean-up project is an integral part of Coca‑Cola's global commitment to creating a "World Without Waste" by the year 2030.

Ta Duy Tung, managing director of Coca‑Cola Bangladesh said, "We at Coca‑Cola Bangladesh appreciate the tireless effort Kewkradong has been putting in for 11 years to keep the shores of St Martin's clean".

"Every year we've witnessed the increase in marine pollution but at the same time, we saw an increase in volunteers as well. If we all come together and take up our responsibility, not only St Martin's but we'll be successfully creating a World without Waste," said Tung.

Muntasir Mamun, country coordinator of Ocean Conservancy said, "Saint Martin's island is a testament to Bangladesh's everlasting natural beauty and this beauty attracts thousands of tourists each year.

"Apart from enjoying the undeniable beauty of the island, it's our job to preserve and protect this natural wonder. With this hope, we have been organizing this coastal cleanup drive consecutively for the past decade and every year we have seen the number of participants increase. If we all work together not only Saint Martin, I believe we'll be able to give the future a cleaner world," said Muntasir.

Coca‑Cola has been supporting the initiative of International Coastal Cleanup in Bangladesh since 2011.

In the last 10 years, over 4,500 people have jointly merged and collected over 12,000 kilograms of marine debris. Through this partnership, Coca‑Cola is working to clean and free oceans from pollution across the globe, said the release.

Mohammad Habibur Rahman, a member of St Martin's Union Parishad, said, "Every year thousands of tourists come to our island and enjoy the beauty. Tourism is a blessing for our communities and economy."

"The challenge we face due to tourism is an excessive amount of waste and marine debris gathered on the beach. Fortunately, organizations such as Coca‑Cola & Kewkradong's commendable initiatives to clean the beaches have made it possible to keep the beauty of the island intact," he said.