In 2023, as part of World Beach Day, celebrated on the third Saturday of September, EPA held 4 simultaneous volunteer events for the first time in the countries where we operate.
Around 560 volunteers from Venezuela, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and El Salvador joined together to clean 11 beaches, managing to collect 9,864 kg of materials that were processed for recycling.
A total of 1.8 kilometers of beach were cleaned across all countries, thanks to partnerships formed with foundations, municipalities, and NGOs to carry out the events.
In Costa Rica, the event took place at Playa Guacalillo, on the Central Pacific coast, where 550 kg of materials were recovered from 500 meters of beach. In addition, 100 native trees were planted.
This day has been celebrated since 1991 with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of conserving marine spaces and the environment.
It is an initiative of the organization The Ocean Conservancy and originated from the international coastal cleanup campaign known as the "International Coastal Cleanup," which is celebrated in more than 150 countries.
At EPA, we joined this initiative through our "Helping is Volunteering" program to make a contribution to communities with the goal of promoting more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices.