Keep Bermuda Beautiful estimates that it has collected around 40 tons of garbage from the Island so far this year.

On Saturday, more than 230 volunteers collected a total of 5.78 tons of trash and waste during its Marine and Beach Clean Up Day.

KBB President Susan Harvey said the clean up made a real impact on the garbage problem.

"My impression is that every year we do a major clean up, we reduce the amount of bulky items in the water," she said. "In one area in 2006 we pulled out two huge outboard motors, but this year in the same location we pulled out very little, so we do make a dent.

A large part of the reason the clean-ups have been successful, according to Mrs. Harvey, is that more members of the community are getting involved.

"We've got more people diving now, we had barges to bring in debris. It all makes a big difference," she said.

"We urge everyone to follow our lead. Island-wide clean-ups are intended to reach everyone, and every year we reach more and more."

While the organisation feels that it has made a real dent, it believes that more still needs to be done.

KBB Consultant Anne Hyde said that the garbage building up around the Island is more than just an eyesore.

"Litter is not just ugly, it is dangerous," she said. "It poses real risks to Bermuda — to our health, the environment and to our economy. Litter creates a breeding ground for mosquitos, rodents and other carriers of disease.

"Our own Bermuda Skink is nearly extinct due to soda cans and bottles tossed into every roadside hedge. Plastic debris left floating along our coastline is literally choking the life out of marine animals and mammals which get tangled in or die from ingesting it."

Mrs. Hyde also stressed the impact Bermuda's litter problem has had on the Island's reputation as a tourist destination, adding: "Tourists have recently started comparing Bermuda's deteriorating state with that of a third world country.

"If the trash goes unchecked and becomes a pervasive problem, it will certainly cost plenty to undo the damage and clean it up."

In the next few months, the charity has planned a few more clean-ups and fund-raising efforts, including a major clean-up in Cedar Park South, and a 'Walk and Work' fund-raiser to be held in November.

• In Monday's Royal Gazette, a headline mistakenly stated that the clean up had collected 27 tons of bagged trash, when in fact KBB had said it had collected 2.7 tons of bagged trash. That number has since been revised.