I recently bought an issue of Zigzag and only just found out about your beach clean competition now in December. I attend beach cleanups every month with my friends from ‘Sea the Bigger Picture’ and ‘Oceano Reddentes’ in Cape Town. Often the cleans take several hours as we cover both land and ocean to find trash. We then sort through all the trash to separate the recyclables from the stuff that needs to be sent to landfill.

 

We eco brick as much of the non-recyclable plastics as possible on the day. We use Tuffy bags to transport all of the trash that goes to the landfill. All recyclables are transported in reusable bags so we can keep using the month in and month out. Instead of latex gloves we use garden gloves, wash them and use them again. We also use the Dirty Dozen method where we categorize all the trash that is collected with brands noted too.

 

This way we can use the data to show municipalities and corporate companies the consequences of certain trash types and the prominence of single-use plastics on our coastline. I work at an NGO called ‘I Am Water Ocean Conservation’ where we provide immersive ocean experiences to underprivileged youth. Within the program, we educate the kids about the importance of our oceans, the creatures that live within them, how to snorkel and the persistence of trash on our beaches and do a small beach clean with them. I love using social media as a platform to educate my friends and family about the importance of reducing our waste and partaking in positive movements to combat these issues. I also enjoy a good surf at Muizenberg beach to let loose and reconnect.

 

The photos attached are from a plethora of beach cleanups from Fish Hoek, Camps Bay, Black River Mouth, Miller’s Point, Dalebrook, Hout Bay, Milnerton and Kalk Bay Harbour. 

 

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