WESSA (Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa – Eastern Cape) held their first beach cleanup of the year at the Summerstrand beach in Gqeberha.
Tim and his group of volunteers met at 9:30 am on a warm and sunny Saturday morning for the first beach clean up in the bay for 2024. The group consisted of WESSA members, SST (Sustainable Seas Trust) members, some locals and The Grey High School Preservation Society.
What was collected?
Many of the Dirty Dozen were collected, which included – cooldrink and water bottles, plastic lids/caps, straws, chip packets, sweet wrappers, alchol bottles, fishing tackle,animal bones, plastic carrier bags, and somerubber . Thankfully no dreaded nurdles were found.
Why are beach cleanups so important?
Is is important to prevent as much litter(especially plastic) as possible from finding its way into the ocean. Marine species can either ingest or sometimes get entangled by plastic litter, which can cause fatal injuries and often death. Ocean pollution threatens our food safety and quality, our health, contributes to climate change and affects our local coastal tourism.
Acknowledgement of other cleanups that took place around the Eastern & Western Cape during January 2024:
Mill Park Conservancy
Zwartkops Conservancy – 108 bags
#Tidy Town Buffalo City – Bonza Bay
Two Oceans Aqurium Cape Town Beach cleanup – Sunset Beach
A question to ponder: If you see someone littering on the beach (or elsewhere) what do you do?
TAKE A STAND AGAINST LITTER
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