Beaches in Mumbai are vulnerable to pollution due to the city's large population, Carter Road beach and mangroves being one of them. During the lockdown in June 2021, Mr. Harold Fernandes started cleaning the Carter Road beach and the adjoining Mangroves everyday which marked the beginning of the Carter CleanUp movement.
Carter CleanUp is a citizen movement founded by Harold Fernandes, Freishia B, Ashwin Malwade, Nupur Agarwal and Maansi Desai. Ek Saath Foundation is the NGO partner to Carter CleanUp. We have been organising regular beach cleanups since the past 100 weeks, every Saturday from 7:30 am - 9:30 am, where volunteers come together and help us get rid of the marine waste at the beach. . We have completed 100 weeks of clean-up at the carter beach and mangroves.
In the last 100 weeks, we have cleared nearly 50,000+ Kgs of Marine waste. Additionally, we cleared 36,000 Kgs of construction debris that was illegally dumped at the beach during the lockdown and sent it for recycling. This C&D waste was recycled into benches that are now placed at the Carter road beach promenade. We at Ek Saath and Carter CleanUp believe in an end-to-end solution, hence all our collected waste is sent for recycling or used as Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) in cement factories. The BMC H-West ward has been constantly supporting us.
These cleanups not only promote waste management but also makes us switch to a sustainable lifestyle. The clean-up also includes activities to educate people about eco-friendly lifestyles. Besides protecting the oceans, beach cleanups also enhance the aesthetic appeal of the beaches and boost the local economy. Overall, participating in beach clean-ups is an effective way to build a sense of community and responsibility towards the environment