Chennai is buzzing with excitement for a massive coastal cleanup drive this weekend. Thousands of volunteers are set to join hands to clean up the city’s beaches and fight marine pollution. This annual event, held on the third Saturday of September, turns into a city-wide effort to remove waste from Chennai’s famous shorelines.
Last year, the cleanup made headlines with around 24,000 people showing up. In just two hours, they gathered over 200 tonnes of trash, including plastics and organic waste, which went straight to recycling centers. Buoyed by this success, organizers from groups like CommuniTREE expect even more participants this time.
Hafiz Khan, who leads the Chennai chapter for CommuniTREE, shared that the drive will stretch from Kasimedu to Kovalam beaches. “Marina Beach is the second-longest urban beach in the world, and this has become one of the biggest coastal cleanups in our region,” he said. The action kicks off at 6 a.m. and wraps up by 9 a.m.—it’s free for everyone, so grab your gloves and trash bags if you’re in!
For 17 years now, this initiative has pulled in a diverse crowd: school and college students, local families, NGOs, walking clubs, corporate teams, and even NSS and NCC groups. It shows how serious the beach pollution problem is in Chennai and how ready people are to tackle it.
Volunteers usually pick up everything from plastic bottles and food wrappers to discarded cartons and organic leftovers from picnics. With food delivery apps now reaching the beaches, packaging waste has shot up big time. Once collected, the trash heads to roadside spots where recycling agencies take over.
But it’s more than just picking up litter—it’s about sparking a real movement. “When thousands share photos and updates on social media, it spreads awareness and pushes policymakers to act. This is our wake-up call,” Hafiz added.
The day ends on a high note with a group discussion on how garbage harms marine life, followed by a pledge from everyone to keep their beaches and neighborhoods clean. If you’re in Chennai, this is your chance to make a difference—join the coastal cleanup and help keep our shores pristine!
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