Surf's Up, Litter Down: Jamaican Surfers Join the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign.
- James Clark
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
On 23 May 2025, the Commonwealth Games Association of Jamaica joined forces with the Jamaica Surfing Association to deliver a vibrant and purposeful beach clean-up as part of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign and the King’s Baton Relay.
A total of 35 volunteers took part, covering 1.5 kilometres of coastline and filling 14 large bags with harmful waste. Among the litter collected were 437 plastic items: mostly small fragments such as lids, utensils, bottles, and shards, which pose a serious threat to marine life and the local environment.
The event captured the collaborative and unifying spirit of the campaign, with representatives from a range of national sporting associations getting involved. Athletes from handball, e-sports, combat sambo, and MMA rolled up their sleeves to take part, with some also delivering an exciting combat sambo and MMA demonstration. Volunteers were even invited to try the sports for themselves, giving the clean-up a lively and interactive finale.
The participation of the surfing community also helped draw attention to a critical issue: plastic pollution and climate change are not only long-term environmental threats, but also immediate economic ones. Jamaica’s beaches are among its most valuable assets, drawing tourists from around the world and offering popular activities like surfing. However, rising plastic pollution threatens to spoil these natural attractions, endanger wildlife, and disrupt local livelihoods.
Challenges such as warmer seas, coastal erosion, the decline of exotic marine species, and rising food prices caused by agricultural disruption will have a significant impact on Jamaica’s economy, particularly the tourism sector. At the same time, tourism itself remains a major contributor to plastic waste, especially as large resorts often generate more consumption than the island’s waste infrastructure can support.
Through initiatives like this beach clean-up, Jamaica’s sporting and environmental communities are not only tackling pollution head-on but also highlighting the urgent need for sustainable tourism and climate-conscious development.
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN.
The Royal Commonwealth Society’s Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign will prevent one million pieces of plastic from entering Commonwealth waterways.
The campaign will combine education and local action to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste, highlight alternatives, and reduce pollution across the Commonwealth.
For the action component of the campaign, the Royal Commonwealth Society has partnered with Commonwealth Sport to deliver the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign as a core component of The King’s Baton Relay. This newly envisioned King’s Baton Relay will focus on sustainability and environmentalism and was launched by His Majesty The King at Buckingham Palace on Commonwealth Day 2025, beginning a 500-day journey to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July 2026.
Journeying through every Commonwealth nation and territory, this partnership will bring together young people, athletes, conservation groups, and the local community for a week of activities, including a plastic clean-up.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
