Elliot’s Beach received a much-needed clean-up, as 47 dedicated members from the InTrek Club – Chennai Chapter gathered on June 22. Armed with gloves and reusable sacks, the volunteers efficiently collected over 625 kgs of plastic waste, abandoned nets, and bottles in just 1.5 hours.
The initiative, led by Pavithraa from the organising committee and initiated by Prathima Chhabria, left a significant visible impact on the beach. What truly stood out was the immediate behavioural change it sparked: many passersby noticed the team’s efforts and joined in, contributing to the clean-up.
“The event was much less about the kgs of trash we collected, but more on the invisible impact created on the minds of the people on the beach today,” said Pavithraa. Participant Harikrishnan echoed this, believing these drives ultimately motivate people to be more mindful about waste generation.
This marks the second intensive clean-up drive by the InTrek Club, a trekking community by Indiahikes that promotes a culture of mindful trekking and environmental responsibility. The club hopes to continue inspiring citizens to address waste problems.
Cleaning up has an unintended perverse consequence – far from keeping the beach clean it might encourage people to litter with gay abandon in the knowledge that the trash will be cleaned up after them