Juhu Beach is one of Mumbai’s highly popular public places and tourist attractions in India. But due to rapid growth in tourism and low awareness among locals, the public beach suffers from a serious littering and pollution problem. On one hand, marine debris washes up across the beach, creating hazards of environmental, economic, and social nature. On the other hand, a significant amount of plastic litter from the beaches ends up in the sea, polluting the marine ecosystem.

According to UNESCO's Ocean Literacy data, plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution and around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year. It breaks down into microplastic particles or floats around forming garbage patches. At public beaches, the threat to food safety and quality, human health, and coastal tourism is acute.

Last month, a group of Intertek India employees from the global ATIC company's Mumbai offices gathered at Juhu for a Beach Cleaning Drive, with the support of a local NGO. A 1-km-long stretch of the beach was cleaned assiduously over 2 hours. Almost 500 kg of trash was collected in the process, segregated into wet and plastic, which was then handed over to the local municipal corporation for proper disposal.

The activity was overseen by a government official, who guided the crew of Intertek employees regarding safety protocols and expressed commendation for the initiative. Such activities help spread awareness in the community about the importance of sanitation and hygiene, public place clean-up drives, beach restoration activities, and the preservation of natural resources. The beach clean-up at Juhu also encouraged a commitment to public place cleanliness, a small step towards building back the world ever better