Emirati trio organise beach clean-up on Abu Dhabi's Lulu Island

While most people made promises to get fit or eat healthy in 2020, a group of friends in Abu Dhabi pledged to turn the tide on the country’s litter bugs.

To kick-start the new decade on the right foot, Hamad Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Marzouqi and Salwa Al Hadhrami have organised a beach clean-up operation at one of the city’s popular, isolated hotspots on Saturday.

Swapping their usual downtime for some social responsibility, the eco-conscious Emirati trio will spend their first weekend of the year collecting rubbish dumped by visitors at Lulu Island.

The 1,050-acre man-made breakwater shelters Abu Dhabi island from the Arabian Gulf. Squeezed between the crablike pincers of its marina and the docks at Mina Zayed, it is a family favourite destination in the city.

However, currents regularly wash plastic and other rubbish on to the island’s beaches too.

With uninterrupted views of the Abu Dhabi skyline and a crystal blue coastline, Mr Al Hosani, 33, said it is the “responsibility of residents”, not just the municipality, to preserve the island’s natural beauty.

“If we want to have beautiful places to visit with family and friends then we need to play a part in keeping these areas clean and tidy.

“We spearheaded this beach clean-up after a visit to the island last week.

“It was sad to see that many people had left their rubbish behind after spending the day barbecuing and picnicking there.”

From fast food packaging to plastic plates and bottles, Mr Al Hosani, a relationship manager at Louvre Abu Dhabi, said a lack of bins on the island was not reason enough for people to just “dump their trash”.

Moved to do something to fix the problem, his group of friends used social media to encourage people to join their beach clean-up on Saturday.

“Rare birds and animals, such as sea turtles, live around the beautiful islands and beaches in Abu Dhabi. January 4, 2020 is waiting for you,” a post on Twitter read.

Within minutes, more than 20 people confirmed their participation for the cause.

“People joined the conversation really quickly and backed our decision all the way,” Mr Al Hosani said.

“We are expecting more on the day and we will use our own boats to ferry people to and from the island from 9am to 1pm on Saturday.

“If more people want to join we will be happy to have them.”

The group will meet behind the fish market at Mina Zayed at 9am on January 4.

Going forward, Mr Al Hosani said the plan is to make it a "regular clean-up operation".

“On Saturday, we plan to speak to visitors and educate them on the importance of taking their rubbish home with them and disposing of it correctly.

“The island is a popular spot for bird watching as many species reside here.

“It would be heartbreaking to see the wildlife go away because of plastic pollution,” he said.

All the rubbish collected on the day will be sent to Tadweer, Abu Dhabi's waste management company.

Parallel to the Corniche public beach, Lulu Island is known for its usually calm waters, making it an ideal spot for kayaking and paddle boarding. The front shore of the beach stretches about 3km long, and the back shore about 4km.

In 2012, Abu Dhabi participated in the ‘Keep The Oceans Clean’ campaign and created 'Lulu Fish', a 2.3 metre-long tuna fish made using rubbish collected on the island.

The exhibit was showcased around malls and schools in the UAE to drum home the devastating impacts of pollution on marine life.