A number of environmental groups have joined forced to create a new task force to increase public awareness about waste management and sustainability.

And the Green Cooperative is now carrying out an assessment of how waste was managed at last month’s controversial Beachfest event at Horseshoe Bay Beach, which was attended by thousands of revellers.

In a statement issued this morning, the group said it was “gearing up to increase public awareness around environmental sustainability and waste management generally, and for large-scale events in particular within a context reflecting our individual and collective responsibilities”.

The group, which has adopted the slogan ‘Small changes, big impact’, is comprised of Bermuda Environmental Sustainability Taskforce, Catlin End-to-End, the Waste Management division of the Department of Works and Engineering-, Greenrock, and Keep Bermuda Beautiful, along with independent consultant, Antonia Issa.

Yesterday the co-operative held a debrief session to assess the BEachfest GREEN initiative that was developed by Beachfest organisers who anticipated waste issues at this year’s party.

The initiative aimed to encourage the public to manage their own waste at public locations and to collect data for a waste audit.

“A report of the objectives and results of the 2014 BEachfest GREEN Initiative is currently being drafted,” the statement said.

“It will include results of the initiative, a detailed analysis with metrics and photo documentation along with a discussion outlining future goals.”

The report, available to the public from September 22, aims to create a benchmark for further study, raise public awareness and “evolve current cultural practices around waste management both for individual and collective levels”.

“We are excited about the opportunity to work collaboratively towards showing that out of small changes we can produce widespread results that will positively affect Bermuda’s people and the natural environment in which we live,” Keep Bermuda Beautiful, Executive Director Anne Hyde said.