On Saturday, April 25, 2026, hundreds of volunteers united along the Palisadoes-Port Royal Protected Area for one of the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project's (KHCP) most impactful cleanups to date, removing 5,307.5 lb of waste in a single day from Gun Boat Beach and Sturridge Park.
The cleanup served as the capstone of Earth Week 2026, bringing together a powerful coalition of corporate and civic partners, including the GraceKennedy Group, Digicel Foundation, Victoria Mutual Foundation, JPS Foundation, JMMB Group, and the Jamaica Defence Force Marine Division. The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) partnered directly with the KHCP to lead the cleanup of the mangrove islet at Sturridge Park.
Among the debris cleared from the coastline were bulky household items that speak to the scale of the challenge: a bathtub, gas cylinders, a baby carrier seat, tyres, and wash basins. With barriers opened ahead of Hurricane Melissa and steady rainfall since the start of the year, these conditions highlight the urgent need for sustained, coordinated cleanup efforts to protect the harbour’s health
For Everton Thomas, the caretaker of Gun Boat Beach who witnesses the coastline's decline firsthand, the urgency is personal.
"Gunboat used to be nice back in the days, but now it's worse. This isn't Gunboat Beach anymore, it's gone. We need to bring back the memories of Gun Boat. There's a whole heap of pollution, all the garbage coming this direction. We can't swim and enjoy it anymore. We really need to bring it back." - Everton Thomas, Caretaker, Gun Boat Beach.
Through the GraceKennedy Foundation's Environmental Warden Programme, the project reaches schools and communities across Kingston, working to change behaviour and build lasting habits around waste management. The overarching mission is to address the problem at its source, not just its symptoms.
Complementing these efforts, innovative waste-trapping technology is deployed at the mouth of gullies in Kingston, to stop as much waste as possible before washing onto the coastline. Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited conducts daily assessments of this technology, using excavations, pool nets, pontoons, and a dedicated sorting team to remove captured waste.
The technology deployed along the harbour is known as “Interceptors”, provided by The Ocean Cleanup, a Netherlands-based organisation known for developing scalable solutions to waterway and ocean pollution.
The Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project (KHCP) is a joint initiative led by Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited, the GraceKennedy Foundation, and The Ocean Cleanup, with additional support from partners across the private and public sectors. Together, these efforts embody a whole-of-society approach to safeguarding Kingston Harbour for generations to come.
"What I want for the harbour, more than anything, is to see it clean and pristine — something I never got to experience growing up. That's what we strive for, and what I want to see for this country." — Michael McCarthy, Clean Harbours Jamaica Limited
A section of Gun Boat Beach, before and after the Kingston Harbour Cleanup Project's Earth Week cleanup, April 25, 2026.
Join us on our mission to reduce the pollution of Kingston Harbour.
Contact us for more information on how to participate.
