<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b4_83560-1.jpg\")
‘The Bay is changing \u2014 and so is the community’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Having watched Bloubergstrand’s coastline evolve over the years, De Freitas says the environmental challenges have grown. Increased foot traffic, plastics and pressure on the natural environment continue to shape the landscape. But so does a rising sense of ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I’ve seen more community leadership, more people stepping up, more heart,” he explains. “Blouberg is evolving, and so is the community.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Saturday’s treasure-hunt-style cleanup aims to make environmental care both impactful and engaging. Volunteers will search for “treasures” \u2014 anything from microplastics to unusual dumped items \u2014 while learning more about coastline behaviour, wind patterns and local marine life. For De Freitas, these clean-ups are about much more than picking up waste. “Environmental care isn’t the responsibility of a select few \u2014 it’s a shared duty,” he says. “These clean-ups restore pride and remind us of our own footprint. They’re also a chance to meet like-minded people and figure out how we can all do better.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He hopes the event sends a message loud and clear: residents don’t need titles or positions to protect their coastline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You just need to show up,” he says. “Small acts of care \u2014 done consistently \u2014 create a ripple effect that changes everything.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, volunteers have found everything from nappies and plastic toys to lost wedding rings and even a door screen. But according to De Freitas, the real treasure is the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The most surprising ‘find’ is how much joy people get from giving back,” he says. “The treasures aren’t always in the sand; they’re in the people standing beside you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bloubergstrand’s ever-shifting winds also shape the experience. “The South Easter pushes debris into new hotspots each time. Every clean-up feels like a different map,” he says. “But our volunteers read the coastline like locals who love it \u2014 intuitively, strategically and with a lot of heart.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The Bay gives us so much \u2014 giving back is the least we can do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n De Freitas says his motivation never fades. “Seeing children join in, new residents discovering the joy of community and familiar faces returning month after month keeps the fire alive,” he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, he wants future generations to inherit more than clean sand. “I hope they experience a coastline that’s cleaner than we found it, a community that models accountability and a beach that still feels wild, free and full of magic.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He reminds residents that ocean pollution starts long before waste reaches the beach. “Carry a reusable bag, say no to single-use plastics, pick up a few pieces of litter on your walk, use a glass water bottle, support businesses that care,” he says. “Plastic pollution isn’t solved at the shoreline \u2014 it’s prevented in our daily routine.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the Bash the Trash: Treasure Hunt Edition just days away, Bloubergstrand is gearing up for another morning of unity, purpose and environmental action. As De Freitas puts it, being part of this collective effort is both “powerful and humbling”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s special to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with neighbours, children, retirees and businesses all united by purpose,” he says. “This community doesn’t just talk about change \u2014 it creates it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Blouberg’s beloved shoreline clean-up is back with a twist as the Bash the Trash: Treasure Hunt Edition takes place this Saturday 29 November. 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Bloubergstrand's coastline during a previous clean-up.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"Kailin Daniels","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Treasure hunt for trash gears 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<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\nA](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b3_43479-1.jpg\")
Clean-ups restore more than beaches \u2014 they restore pride<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Volunteers](\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/b2_62434-1.jpg\")
Giving back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n