Saipan’s reefs and marine habitats are at risk from litter washing into the surrounding waters and becoming marine debris. This debris is not only unsightly; it poses a risk to marine life from entanglement, and smothering from its ingestion. MINA has found that beach clean ups alone are not the answer. The barrier to proper waste disposal must be addressed as well. In response MINA proposed and was awarded a grant by the NOAA Marine Debris Prevention program to place conveniently located recycling and mixed waste bins for public use and provide trash collection services at seven beach sites.
Funding has paid for the fabrication of weather resistant recycling and mixed waste bins for Saipan’s most popular beach sites: Garapan Fishing Basin, 13 Fisherman monument, Kilili Park, Sugar Dock, and Wing, Laolao, and Obyan beaches. Ericco Enterprises has been contracted to install the bins on March 27th and provide regular trash hauling services. The grant funding will pay for the first few months of hauling service, but MINA is asking interested individuals, families, and businesses to join the program and be part of the solution by “Adopting-A-Bin”. In return, Adopters will have their logo placed on their bin, a link to your organization on the MINA website, and be internationally recognized as one of Saipan's eco-friendly and community-oriented businesses in a documentary to be shown at the US Coral Reef Task Force meeting next year in Washington, DC.
Three sites have already been adopted! So if you wish to Adopt-a-Bin go to MINA's website under Goals & Projects. Scroll down to the link where you can download the form and send it to P.O. Box 506645 with a check for $1,000 made out to MINA, which will pay for one year of weekly trash hauling services from your site. You may submit your electronic logo and questions to MINA’s project manager, Kathy Yuknavage, at Kathy@minapacific.org.
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