Successful coastal clean-up at Blue Lagoon beach
Participating schools, including UKZN Golden Key Society, Varsity College Durban North, IAIASA Student Branch, and students from Pietermaritzburg, played a vital role in the event's success. The Green Buddies Executive Committee’s hard work and dedication in handling logistics were instrumental in ensuring the event ran smoothly.
Green Buddies Environmental Club and KZN Beach Clean-Ups, in partnership with several dedicated organisations and volunteers, celebrated International Coastal Clean-Up Day with a triumphant clean-up at Blue Lagoon Beach, specifically the fishing pier.
Collectively, volunteers brought back 300 bags of litter. The common offenders identified were bottle caps, chip packets, straws, earbuds, lollipop sticks, fishing lines, microplastics, and polystyrene.
Litter in our oceans has profound effects on marine life, causing entanglement and ingestion of plastic, often leading to painful injuries or death.
Recent research also suggests potential health risks for humans due to plastic pollution in our bodies.
Chairman of Green Buddies Environmental Club, Ashlin Ellan, remarked, “Collaborating with other environmentalists and corporates to make a change was the most enjoyable part of the day. Problems become overwhelming to tackle on our own, but together we can make an impact.”
Manager of KZN Beach Clean-Ups, Presha Soogrim, added that the biggest success was seeing the youth from the schools and other organisations so engaged and committed to cleaning up the environment and finding solutions to the plastic crisis.
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The sustainability communications manager at Zero Waste Durban, Melissa van Rensburg, shared Soogrim’s same sentiments.
“A personal highlight for me was engaging with the younger generation on the importance of protecting the environment and reducing waste. It was inspiring to hear how they planned to be eco-warriors in their own school, communities and families. While clean-ups are undoubtedly valuable, I think they serve as an important catalyst for something bigger- the need to rethink our consumption habits and minimise waste at the source. One thing is for sure, this broader transformation is only possible through partnerships and collaborations which is what makes days like International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) day so special,” she said.
The clean-up initiative was made possible through the collaborative efforts of various partners Zero Waste Durban and Zero Waste Don’t Waste Group were commended for overseeing the sorting and removal of collected waste, a crucial aspect of the clean-up.
Participating schools, including UKZN Golden Key Society, Varsity College Durban North, IAIASA Student Branch, and students from Pietermaritzburg, played a vital role in the event’s success. The Green Buddies Executive Committee’s hard work and dedication in handling logistics were instrumental in ensuring the event ran smoothly.
“We wish to express our heartfelt appreciation to all volunteers for their unwavering commitment. We eagerly anticipate future events and invite partners and interested organisations to join us for a debriefing and conservancy clean-up in partnership with Pick n Pay People n Planet on November 4, 2023. Cleaning up the environment is crucial, but it’s not the only solution. We need to stop the flow of plastics by holding polluters responsible and implementing extended producer responsibility schemes,” she said.
Soogrim concluded by saying that everyone has a role to play in keeping the environment clean, reducing single-use plastic, recycling, and demanding sustainable packaging from companies.
