Thousands of people will descend on Athens' beaches and waters to clean them up on World Environment Day this year, just in time for the world to come to the ancient city for the Olympic Games.

Groups of school children, members of the World Olympians Association and divers will clean the beaches and shallow waters of the Greek capital's coastline, whilst tugboats with cranes pull up some of the bigger objects submerged further out to sea. The waste will then be separated and recycled or disposed of carefully.

The clean-up is part of a huge effort initiated by the Athens 2004 Organizing Committee and the Athens Environmental Foundation to put the environment at the heart of the Games and to take the opportunity of their return to their original home to 'green' the city.

'We need to stop using the ocean as a garbage can,' says Jean-Michel Cousteau of the Athens Environmental Foundation.'The pollution that we are inflicting on marine life ends up hurting every one of us and the quality of all our lives. If we protect the ocean we protect ourselves.'