In a proactive approach to reduce plastic pollution, ASEZ, a university student volunteer group affiliated with the World Mission Society Church of God, hosted a cleanup at King’s Beach on 10 August.
Its name reflects the slogan “Save the Earth from A to Z,” and the group carries out crime prevention, climate change response, community service and disaster relief.
The cleanup campaign, which forms part of the “Zero Plastic 2040” initiative, saw 30 ASEZ members, along with their families and friends, pick up various types of waste including plastic cups, straws, plastic bags and boxes.
Over the course of an hour, approximately 37 municipal refuse bags of waste were collected.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality welcomed ASEZ’s volunteer efforts, supporting the event with 100 refuse bags and 100 pairs of gloves.
Ward 2 Councillor Sean Tappan, who participated in the cleanup, said everyone needs to play their part for a clean environment.
“Plastic pollution is terrible all over the world,” he said.
“We need to find ways of reaching the community and spreading the word that pollution and plastic are endangering our environment.”
Every year, 280 million tonnes of short-lived plastic waste are discarded and end up in oceans, soil and air.
According to an ASEZ representative, small daily habits can bring great change to the environment.
“We hope many more will join us. King’s Beach is a haven for local citizens to enjoy swimming, surfing, and sunbathing on its golden sands.”
Nelson Mandela Bay University student, Thethelela Sogayise (20), said it was wonderful to participate in the cleanup.
“I feel really great to be part of this campaign because, through it, we are one step closer to saving the earth.
We, university students, play a crucial role in this campaign because we are the future leaders of this world.”
The international community predicts that with strong reduction efforts, environmental leakage of plastic could be nearly eliminated by 2040.
To help achieve this goal, ASEZ carries out awareness-raising activities such as forums and seminars, cleanups, street campaigns, and signature drives across many countries, including South Africa.
