The Gambia supporting local clean-ups
- William Bolton
- Nov 5
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
On 13 October 2025, the shores of The Gambia witnessed an inspiring demonstration of community action and environmental leadership. As part of the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign, a large-scale beach clean-up brought together volunteers, athletes, environmental advocates, and local organisations in a shared mission: tackling plastic pollution along one of the country’s most important stretches of coastline.
The initiative, led by WasteAid, an international environmental charity committed to improving waste management in vulnerable communities, was supported by the Gambia National Olympic Committee, along with a range of local partners and community groups. Their collective goal was to restore and protect the beaches from Bakau to Senegambia, a coastline that plays a vital role in the country’s environment, tourism, and daily life.
The event cleaned up the beaches from Bakau to Senegambia beach, a distance of around 8 kilometres, which is around 1 tenth of all the coastline in the Gambia (approximately 80 kilometres). The Gambia’s coastline is critical to marine biodiversity and it’s tourism industry.
Plastic litter remains one of the biggest environmental challenges facing Commonwealth countries, especially for coastal communities that rely on clean beaches and healthy oceans for tourism and fisheries. The Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign aims to address this by supporting local initiatives, raising awareness, and championing solutions at both grassroots and policy levels.
WasteAid’s role was central to the success of the event. The organisation has been active in The Gambia for years, working with local partners to improve waste handling, create livelihoods through recycling, and promote circular economy solutions. Their expertise helped ensure the clean-up was not only productive but also safe and well-organised.
WasteAid educated participants on the issues of plastic pollution in the country, including how a majority of waste is carried down the River Gambia, threatening wildlife and local livelihoods.
WasteAid is particularly focused on the role of informal waste collectors in the circular economy, helping to both reduce pollution while generating value in low-income communities. WasteAid offers these waste-collectors specialised training, mentoring and support. Most importantly they empower these individuals to build their own business through combatting plastic waste, and to change perspectives around waste collection, as a valuable source of income and key way to support the local community.
The involvement of the Gambia National Olympic Committee highlighted another important message: sustainability and sport go hand in hand. Through its environment and sustainability programmes, the Olympic movement encourages athletes and youth to protect the very environments that host their training and competition grounds. The Committee’s support brought visibility, energy, and teamwork to the event.
The event was attended by environmental and community groups, maritime organisations, and government partners. Students from Campama, Deeper Life, Gambia Senior Secondary School, Jeshwang, Latrikunda, St Augustine’s, St Joseph’s all attended the event, putting a focus on youth involvement and environmental education.
The Gambia’s contribution to the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Plastics Campaign demonstrates that while plastic pollution remains a daunting global challenge, change begins locally, one beach, one community, and one determined group of volunteers at a time.
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.
