PlasticBusters Isle of Man teamed up once again with Trident Trust for the first clean up of spring! This time we visited an area around a public school in Onchan. The group of approximately 30 volunteers were shocked to find hundreds of pieces of plastic, glass and metal scattered around the area and managed to collect over 200 pounds of litter, including bottles, cans, crisp & sweet wrappers….!. Before the event, PlasticBusters spent several days in the area logging over 1.000 pieces of litter with the Eyesea app.

Despite the disappointing amount of litter, the volunteers were determined to make a difference. Armed with gloves, litter pickers and bags, they spent nearly two hours picking up trash and discussing the issue of littering in the community.

One volunteer shared his thoughts on the importance of events like this, saying, "It's disheartening to see the amount of litter we found today, but it's encouraging to see so many people come together to make a difference. It's important for us to take care of our environment and set a good example for future generations. It's up to us to make a difference, no matter how small, and events like this give us the opportunity to do just that."

A *sample of 480 pieces of litter logged on the Eyesea App and collected during the event. There were more than 1,000 in total...*

Another volunteer expressed her concern about the lack of education on environmental issues, stating, "I wonder if the children at schools are being properly taught about the impact of littering on the environment. It's not just about picking up trash, it's about understanding the consequences of our actions and taking responsibility for our own waste."

The group also noted the lack of waste bins in the area and speculated that it could contribute to the littering problem. One of the volunteers said, "It's disappointing to see the lack of infrastructure to support waste management around this area. We need to work on creating a more sustainable system that makes it easy for people to dispose of their waste properly."

Despite these challenges, the group was able to collect a significant amount of litter, making the area cleaner and safer for both the students and the surrounding community.

Thank you to the troop of volunteers that came together to clean up the area and support the preservation of this beautiful Island's biosphere, and congratulations to Trident Trust who took the PlasticBusters Pledge to Support the Reduction of Plastic Pollution earlier last year and who are demonstrating it with actions!

If you wondered who Trident Trust is, they were established over 40 years ago. It is a privately owned, leading global corporate, fiduciary and fund administrator, employing over 900 staff across a footprint that spans Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East.

Its Isle of Man office was established in 1988 and has close to 60 specialists and professionals experienced in managing trusts and businesses for clients. The team has considerable experience of administering multi-jurisdictional structures and has a strong accounting and compliance culture allied to a practical approach to administration. The team comprises many qualified members of various professional bodies, including STEP, ICSA, ACCA and the ICA, and has been active in the establishment and leadership of the IOM Association of Corporate Service Providers.

To learn more about their team and the business visit: https://www.tridenttrust.com/locations/isle-of-man

If you would like to join Trident Trust and a group of over 300 businesses and organisations that have already taken the pledge, please follow this link: plasticbusters.org/pledge

The more we are the bigger impact we can make!

With this, the Isle of Man team has now carried out approx. 80 group clean-up activities locally to preserve the ecosystems of this unique UNESCO Biosphere nation, where we have so far collected more that 9,000 pounds of litter…. And this is only counting our organised group activities, as our local PlasticBusters continue working hard on their own looking after their adopted places (www.adopttheworld.org).

We can’t wait for our next activity…

PlasticBusters is an award-wining Isle of Man headquartered charity with circa 4,000 volunteers in over 100 countries. Would you like to volunteer with us? Please visit our Get Involved site and/or join here our Facebook page.

Note: All materials collected in our activities are properly separated, logged, and taken to a nearby amenity site for disposal/recycling or handed over for collection to the local council.