All over our country’s coastline litter tumbles in the seabreeze over sandy shores. It also gets wedged between rocks, stuck in the driftwood, or at its worst – ensnares a seabird in a trap it can’t escape.

Litter is the harsh reality of this world’s hungry needs, with plastic packaging or bottles making up the bulk of the trash. It is also something that’s not just reserved for busy city beaches or that spot near the dump. Trash gets transported by wind and tide, swell and rain, or even dropped by that idiot who doesn’t give a second thought about the lifelong journey that litter will take. Bottom line: the mess can end up anywhere.

There’s only two solutions to keeping our beaches clean. Either we (deleted powers that be part – too preachy, we all love the convenience of plastic and don’t make a big fuss about it) stop producing plastic packaging (highly unlikely), or we get off our butts and do our part in helping to clean up the mess. There’s a third thing – ignoring it completely – but we all know that’s not a solution, just a huge percentage of the cause.

It’s solution number two that organisations like Blouberg Beach Cleanup and KZN’s Durban Beach Cleanup have been stepping up to the plate with, and doing their bit to make a dent in the piles of plastic that keep finding their way onto our shores. Michael Barreta and Camilla Howard from Trekking for Trash are also involved in a massive way, with their campaign not only tidying-up the coast from Alexander Bay to Kosi Bay, but the awareness their trek created has helped to open more minds to the need for SA citizens to do their part in helping keep their country beautiful – even if it’s just the area around their usual spot where they lay down their towel to soak in some rays.

If you live on the east coast, you can find Durban Beach Cleanup on Facebook and get involved with some of their scheduled meetings. Or contact them via e-mail here. They’ll be hosting their next clean-up this coming Saturday at New Beach along the Golden Mile.

Alternatively, if you’re a Weskus local, then give Blouberg Beach Cleanup a contact on Facebook to join in their regular clean-up days. They’ve branched out, so it’s not just the Blouberg area that’s been getting the loving, there’s also been regular cleanups in Boland as well as many other areas. Contact Blouberg Beach Cleanup via email to find out how and where you can get involved. They’re hosting a number of events tomorrow for Mandela Day, with a large group expected at Lagoon Beach (check their Facebook page for all the details).

Many hands make light work, so cleaning up with a crew is best, but if you’re the type who does their best work alone, then the Tuffy refuse bag supplied in the last issue of Zag should be enough to get you on your way to helping keep SA’s beaches lekker. Alternately, drop Zag a line on doug@zigzag.co.za if you’re looking for more sponsored bags to pack your trash into.