Sandals Foundation rallies over 700 volunteers across the Caribbean for International Coastal Cleanup Day
Sandals Foundation volunteers (l-r) Rochelle Hyman, Rayo Reid and Tamara Brown are joined by White House fisherman Omar Dickson for a cleanup activity at the White House fishing beach on International Coastal Cleanup Day 2026.
Key Points(5)
- Across Western Jamaica, 150 volunteers collected more than 1,500 pounds of solid waste from local coastal landscapes, reinforcing their commitment to marine conservation and community activism.
- Here in Jamaica, volunteers from Sandals Resorts International, the Scotia Foundation, Sangster's International Airport and the Negril Chamber of Commerce came together at the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, Whitehouse Beach, Rio Nuevo Beach and Negril Beach.
- For the Foundation, these local locations are particularly special, as it continues to give careful attention to communities affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
- Whitehouse, a community with deep ties to the Foundation, has been home to the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary since 2015, with its office serving as a community center and base of operations for sanctuary wardens.
- At the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, continued collaboration between the Sandals Foundation and its partners helps coastal communities chart their next chapter with strength and certainty.
Continuing its mission to create and maintain a sense of environmental stewardship among community members, the Sandals Foundation rallied more than 700 volunteers across Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, Grenada, The Bahamas, Curaçao and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for the largest one-day volunteer event in the world — International Coastal Cleanup Day.
Across Western Jamaica, 150 volunteers collected more than 1,500 pounds of solid waste from local coastal landscapes, reinforcing their commitment to marine conservation and community activism.
Here in Jamaica, volunteers from Sandals Resorts International, the Scotia Foundation, Sangster's International Airport and the Negril Chamber of Commerce came together at the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, Whitehouse Beach, Rio Nuevo Beach and Negril Beach.
For the Foundation, these local locations are particularly special, as it continues to give careful attention to communities affected by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.
Whitehouse, a community with deep ties to the Foundation, has been home to the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary since 2015, with its office serving as a community center and base of operations for sanctuary wardens. At the Whitehouse Marine Sanctuary, continued collaboration between the Sandals Foundation and its partners helps coastal communities chart their next chapter with strength and certainty.
Since its inception in 2013, the Sandals Boscobel Special Fishery Conservation Area has contributed to major improvements in the surrounding marine space that touches the communities of Rio Nuevo, Stewart Town and Boscobel. This made Rio Nuevo Beach a prime location for ICCD.
In Negril, team members from Sandals Negril Beach Resort partnered with the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to beautify Negril Beach, an area close to home and their hearts.
Environmental Manager at the Sandals Foundation Georgia Scarlett says, “We are pleased to continue our participation in ICCD. For over a decade, we have administered beach and underwater clean-up activities across the Caribbean with several volunteers, while ensuring that everyone engaged understands that small acts of solid waste management are key to conservation. Together with students, fishers, community residents and other charities, we will continue to protect marine ecosystems through these activities.”
Since 2009, the Foundation has mobilized close to 200,000 people in various environmental conservation efforts, including marine sanctuary management, coral restoration, environmental education and biodiversity conservation across the Caribbean.
