CHENNAI: At least 50 tonnes of garbage were collected within three hours at Besant Nagar and Pattinampakkam beaches on Sunday. Lions International District 324K organized Chennai Plogathon 2023 to raise awareness about litter reduction and the importance of eliminating single-use plastics. The event has been authorized by the World Records Union.

Around 11,500 participants including school and college students, NSS, scouts and guides, NGOs, and corporate volunteers collected litter at the city beaches. They collected 50,000 kg of trash and promoted the 'Say No to Single-Use Plastics' campaign. Their enthusiastic participation underscored the potential for collective action to bring about meaningful change. During the event, Mayor R Priya advised the students to avoid the usage of single-use plastic products.

The Chennai Plogathon 2023 is a monumental step towards a cleaner, greener Chennai, and it emphasizes the importance of unity in addressing environmental issues. The central theme of the event was to make Chennai litter-free and curb the use of single-use plastics.

In an aim to transform Chennai into a role model for urban sustainability, they organized a similar event in September for the school students. They created awareness among the students to clean the litter from the road, and wall paintings on their campus.