SSA and NCC team up to transform Six Men’s Beach

What was once a communal garbage area at Six Men’s Beach has been cleared, following a joint cleanup and beautification project carried out early Tuesday morning by the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) and the National Conservation Commission (NCC).

The effort, which began at 7:30 a.m., targeted a section of the coastline that had become overwhelmed by waste, creating health and environmental concerns.

According to Acting Special Projects Officer at NCC Carlos Gilkes, the area had reached a point where it was “overused and overworked,” leading to “a lot of rodents and a lot of issues attached to the state.”

Workers from both agencies were out in full force, with weedwhackers operating on either side of the street, wheelbarrows removing debris, and teams clearing bush and overgrown vegetation. The SSA carried out what was described as a “major clean of the area,” removing the former communal garbage site entirely, while a truck of dirt was also brought in to support the next phase of the project.

Gilkes explained that once the cleanup was completed, the focus shifted to upgrading the space. 

“After cleaning up the green waste, we actually decided to beautify the area, so we’ve added some picnic benches and some plants.” 

“The plants chosen were sand dollar and sea grape for both their visual appeal and environmental benefits. Both of them are salt tolerant and both of them have the tendencies for lessening soil erosion,” Gilkes said.

Beyond addressing sanitation concerns, the project was also designed to enhance the look and feel of the beachfront. 

Gilkes said the goal was to create “a good environmental area where the aesthetics and the quality aesthetics were actually good for the backdrop.”

With the beach directly in front of the upgraded space, the additions are expected to change how the area is used. 

“Six Men’s is one of those nice areas where you have the beach right in front of you, and by adding the picnic tables and the plants, the hope is that we will encourage a lot more persons to just chill out there and have a good view of the sea and the beach area,” Gilkes added.

With this collaborative project between the NCC and SSA now complete, Six Men’s Beach is expected to emerge as a go-to spot in St Peter for the community, families, friends and visitors alike.