in a worldwide trash drive.

And environmentalists will be hoping Bermuda has not accumulated as much rubbish as in previous years, when it was rated in the top 20 of dirty nations taking part.

Opposition Leader Jennifer Smith has already pledged her support to the Coastal and Marine Clean-up day and organisers are hoping that Premier Pamela Gordon will also lend a hand.

Ms Smith is expected to be collecting rubbish at Gates Fort, St. George's early on Saturday as the clean up scheme gets underway -- along with 91 other countries across the world.

The event will take place at various coastal sites across the Island and will collect tonnes of assorted rubbish -- all of which will go toward compiling a global database of marine trash.

Last year over 400 people turned out for the clean-up, collecting 14 tonnes of rubbish -- ranking Bermuda as the 12th highest country in terms of volume of rubbish collected.

Of that 41 percent was glass, 29 percent plastic and 17 percent metal.

KBB Project leader Lennox Boodram said they were hoping that several hundred people would turn out to comb nearly nine miles of coastline -- and also much of the undersea world.

"It is very important to keep the marine environment in pristine condition for visitors,'' he said.

"A lot of people don't realise when they leave trash on land, it eventually turns up in the water.'' Divers and snorkellers will also be doing their bit, collecting waste that has been left on the ocean floor.

About 20 Bermuda Sub Aqua Club divers will be taking part at Clarence Cove and Ducking Stool Park.

Divers who want to participate, should meet at the site with their qualifications handy. Divers will also be at other clean-up sites around the Island.

A BSAC spokesman said: "It's a shame to see what people dump in Bermuda's waters.

"Every year, we collect everything from batteries to motorbikes. There is lots of plastic covering the coral along the shore and a lot of the waste is toxic to the marine life. It's not pleasant to come across this garbage.'' Free air fills will be available to all divers taking part and BSAC will be holding an "after the clean-up'' party at Admiralty House, Spanish Point, starting at 5 p.m.

All the rubbish collected is logged and recorded, and data on the type of debris will be sent to the Centre for Marine Conservation in Washington D.C., where it will form the basis of a report.

In addition Bermuda is also taking part in an exercise with Haiti, to see just how far rubbish can travel in the world's oceans.

Labelled rubbish, including bottles, has been sent from the West Indies and KBB officials will be waiting to see if it arrives on Bermuda's shores.

The clean-up runs from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. For more details call 295 5142.