FedEx Taiwan Clears 221kg of Ocean Trash With 55 Volunteers

When 55 volunteers gathered at Linkou North Jetty Beach in August, they weren't just picking up trash. They were learning firsthand how everyday choices end up strangling our oceans.

FedEx Taiwan teamed up with environmental group RE-THINK for the second year running, this time removing 221 kilograms of marine debris from a beach notorious for accumulating plastic waste and abandoned fishing gear. Ocean currents and river flows constantly dump new pollution onto this stretch of New Taipei City coastline, making regular cleanups essential.

The event kicked off with an online education session focused on "Life Cycle Thinking," connecting the dots between daily consumption and the plastic bottles washing up on shore. Volunteers then hit the beach, sorting debris into categories to understand exactly what's polluting Taiwan's waters.

FedEx made the cleanup part of Purple Week's "FWS Day of Service," honoring founder Frederick W. Smith's commitment to community service. Employees brought their families, turning environmental stewardship into a shared value that extends beyond the workplace.

The day included two challenges that made the serious work more engaging. The "Unusual Marine Debris Challenge" had teams hunting for the strangest items, while the "Microplastic Rapid Screening Challenge" revealed the tiny plastic particles invisible to casual beachgoers but devastating to marine life.

The Ripple Effect

RE-THINK has been leading this fight since 2013, organizing over 200 beach cleanups that have engaged 90,000 volunteers and removed 330 tons of marine debris. Each corporate partnership multiplies that impact, turning one-day events into ongoing commitments as participants reduce plastic use at home.

Paul Sousa, Managing Director of FedEx Taiwan, emphasized that the company encourages team members to make positive impacts in their communities through action, not just words. Jason Huang, RE-THINK's founder, noted that hands-on cleanup activities inspire lasting behavior changes far more effectively than lectures ever could.

The volunteers left the beach cleaner, but they also left with something more valuable: a visceral understanding of how their daily choices ripple outward to affect Taiwan's coastal ecosystems.

When families clean beaches together, environmental responsibility becomes a shared mission that reaches far beyond a single Saturday morning.