Clean Ocean Force successfully completes first year leaving many WP beaches cleaner, safer

Clean Ocean Force (COF) has successfully completed its first year of operations, leaving many beaches around the Western Province cleaner, safer, and well sustained. 

COF is a non-profit organization based in Sri Lanka working towards eliminating plastic, manmade pollutants, and other debris,that enter the Indian Ocean through the various rivers around the country. 

COF was initiated by Thorsten Knekties and Jerome Fernando with an aim to make an impact on marine life and the beaches of Sri Lanka, while driving a lasting socio-economic change in the lives of disadvantaged communities. 

COF was also able to bring together private and public partnerships along with the relevant authorities to one table. This enabled Clean Ocean Force to establish a unique mechanism to handle the operations, while also guiding and funding the entire process.  

COF’s approach ensures the cleanliness of the beaches and opportunities for a sustained livelihood for the under-privileged citizens of Sri Lanka. The team consists of waste collectors from low-income communities, providing them a promising monthly income. The task force manually removes and segregates plastic, cans, debris, and other pollutants from the beaches every day and hands this over to the recyclers. 99% of what is collected is recycled and not dumped as garbage again. COF requests all recyclers to join hands towards this worthy cause. 

The Ministry of Local Government and Environment, WP, Waste Management Authority, SLRDC, Dehiwala, Mt, Lavinia and Colombo Municipal councils, MEPA, Samurdi, and Sri Lanka Police Environmental Divisionare key stakeholders, while the office of the Governor of the Western Province overlooks and provides necessary guidance. 

Currently, COF works with the Crow Island, Kapumgoda, Sarakku Kanda, Mt. Lavinia, Wedikanda beaches, and the Dehiwala Canal strainer. COF aims to cover all the beaches around the Western Province, and to build a stronger volunteer force.