LAOAG CITY, Nov. 12 (PIA) -- The Movement Against Plastic Pollution (MAPP) Ilocos Norte conducted a coastal and underwater clean-up drive along the coasts of Currimao, Ilocos Norte on November 06 in observance of the National Environment Awareness Month.

The 152 participants and volunteers collected 42 sacks worth of plastic and other waste materials along the beaches of Barangays Gaang,  Victoria, and Salugan, and the waters of Brgy. Poblacion 1 and Brgy Pangil.

MAPP President Ramil Llanes stressed the importance of the clean-up drive, “MAPP organization has a strong foundation on why it is started and has the consistency on its goals and mission. Activities like these clean-up drives are very important because it serves as an eye-opener to all individuals regarding the state of our ocean and it gives us a sign that we must take good care of not just the ocean but all aspects of environment,” he said.

The team audited soft plastics, plastic  utensils, wrappers, bottles, styrofoam, discarded cloths, fishnets, sacks, sanitary pads and diapers, cigarette butts and packages, medical wastes like face masks,  toothbrushes, tin cans and slippers along with three sacks worth of uncategorized trash. There was also 135 kilogram of wastes collected from the underwater clean-up.

Some of the collected trash was handed to the Marine Biology Students Society to be used in their campus garden project, while the rest was collected by the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office of the Currimao Local Government Unit.

The event was also attended by some officials and members of different youth groups, non-government groups, and other organizations in Ilocos Norte.­ (JCR/VHS/EJFG/PIA Ilocos Norte)