A multi-group collaboration led by global fast-food chain KFC has successfully cleared hundreds of pounds of accumulated trash from the Easy Hall gully in St Joseph, Barbados, marking the latest step in the company’s island-wide commitment to restoring natural spaces. Volunteers from partner organizations and KFC staff spent time sorting and bagging a startling array of discarded items pulled from the waterway, ranging from full bathroom fixtures and automotive components including car seats to discarded cardboard packaging, and countless single-use glass and plastic containers that had leached toxins into the local ecosystem for months. Once collected, all debris was hauled away from the site to prepare for ongoing restoration work aimed at reviving the gully’s natural habitat and protecting the surrounding watershed. Speaking to local reporters following the clean-up, KFC Operations Business Partner Shekelia Barrow explained that this project is one piece of the brand’s larger sustainability strategy for the Caribbean nation, emphasizing that the company sees environmental stewardship as core to its role as a local corporate citizen. “KFC has embarked on cleaning natural spaces in Barbados because we understand the importance of keeping the environment safe for us and future generations,” Barrow said. She added that this was the second organized clean-up the company has led in 2024, following an initial event at Bath Beach held April 28. KFC Quality Assurance Coordinator Kianna Barrow extended thanks to key collaborators that made the gully clean-up possible, including the country’s Ministry of Environment and National Beautification, the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), the Girl Guides Association of Barbados, and the in-house KFC staff that volunteered their time for the initiative. She noted that the project aligns seamlessly with the brand’s long-standing local sustainability campaigns: Adopt-A-Beach and Adopt-A-Kilometre. “On a number of beaches you will see KFC branded bins, benches, swings. We clean up and help keep our beaches clean. Since I have been here I said ‘Why not do it ourselves. Why sponsor when we can get our KFC teams out here doing the work. KFC is more than chicken,” she told reporters. Sydell Felicien, coordinator for CYEN’s Barbados chapter, shared that while her organization typically prioritizes beach clean-up efforts, it jumped at the chance to partner with KFC for the gully project due to the underrecognized critical role gullies play in Barbados’ broader ecosystem and biodiversity. Felicien also echoed growing concerns among local environmental groups about the rising volume of garbage and plastic waste being illegally dumped across the island’s beaches and inland waterways. She stressed that ongoing public education campaigns are essential to changing community behaviors around proper waste disposal and curbing the harmful practice of illegal dumping. The clean-up effort was documented in photos captured by Jenique Belgrave for Barbados TODAY, showing dozens of volunteers working along the gully’s banks to collect and bag litter.