SANGUEM
Beach Cleaning drives have grown into a global phenomenon, with volunteers gathering at regular intervals to clean up plastic trash.
The NGO Smile Keepers Foundation of Goa has taken a step in collecting not only trash but also the microplastics from the beach cleaning drives. They have made a manual machine that segregates microplastics from the sand collected.
The association used this machine during a cleanliness drive at Velsao Beach on August 15.
A member of the Smile Keepers Foundation of Goa, who hails from Sanguem, said the students have built a portable, multi-section device from scratch using nothing but scrap and recycled materials.
‘This device segregates plastic waste, shredded pieces of fishing nets and all multi-layered plastic packets which are embedded deep within the sand.”
“The sand has to be fed to the mouth of the device and within seconds it is separated from all the plastic waste. Easy to use and very effective. The simplest of ideas but a giant leap towards cleaner beaches in Goa,” the member said.
The association has hoped that other organisations and individuals will come up with other unique ways to keep beaches clean in the State.
