On Saturday, September 17, Kouga Municipality will join countries from across the globe to mark International Coastal Clean-Up Day.
“The municipality is organising a big beach clean-up and would like to invite all residents, businesses, schools, churches, and organisations to join us,” said Kouga community services portfolio Councillor, Daniel Benson.
The beach clean-up campaigns will take place from 08:00 to 12:00 on September 17.
One group will start at the Main Beach in Jeffreys Bay, while a second group will start at the Kabeljous Estuary mouth. A third group will take to the sand at the Main Beach in Cape St Francis – meeting at the main ablution facility.
Benson said teams should ideally consist of two to three people.
“Each team, to be assigned a cleaning site, will receive gloves, bags, and an audit form ahead of the clean-up to keep track of the waste collected,” said Benson.
“There is also an application – Clean Swells – that participants can download from Google Play Store to capture waste collected. We would like a mixture of the two methods of collecting data.
“The purpose of documenting what waste is collected, is to identify what the biggest problems are, so that solutions can be identified to minimise this waste.”
According to Benson, ocean waste is a serious pollution problem that affects the health of people, wildlife, and local economies. Waste in the water and on the shore can kill marine animals, injure swimmers and beachgoers, and ensnare boat propellers.
Residents and groups can also identify their own sites where they would like to do beach litter picking, and any assistance they need, from the municipality.
For more information or to be part of the clean-up, send your name and surname to mengelbrecht@kouga.gov.za. Also include which group you would like to join.
