Since 2018 Twyg and The Beach Co-op have organised the annual #PlasticFreeMzansi campaign. Inspired by Australia’s Plastic Free July, the campaign educates and informs South Africans about plastic, encourages people to reduce their use of problem plastics, and organises beach clean-ups and plastic upcycling plastic workshops. This year, Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages and Biru Experiments joined the campaign as partners.

From left to right: Yvonne Brecher of Biru Experiments, Priscilla Urquhart of Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages, Jackie May of Twyg and Aaniyah Martin of The Beach Co-op

Plastic waste accounts for 85% of all marine litter. “The vast majority of mismanaged plastic waste that originates on land eventually ends up in rivers and is churned out into oceans,” Steve Fletcher, professor of Ocean Policy at the University of Portsmouth, told Nature. This plastic waste poses a threat to marine ecosystems. While plastic does not decompose easily, it does break down into tiny pieces, known as microplastics. Microplastic pollution can be consumed by aquatic life and affect the health of marine animals. This then, affects the entire food chain, having a knock-on effect on the predators and prey indirectly. Despite environmental concerns, plastic production shows no sign of slowing down.

The Beach Co-op’s Aaniyah Martin

Africa’s rapid urbanisation rate has challenged many countries to balance growth with sustainable waste management. South Africa has one of the highest urbanisation rates in the world.  A UN report says poorly run landfills and the levels of waste being washed into rivers and waterways contribute to between 90 000 and 250 000 tons of rubbish being dumped in the ocean every year.

“That is equivalent to five garbage trucks dumping their litter into the sea every single hour. This has a huge impact on the social well-being of communities and poses a serious threat to marine life, human health, and all economies,” says Priscilla Urquhart who is the head of public affairs, communications and sustainability for Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages.

United Nations’ Jared Bosire says that if we want a clean ocean, “we must change our behaviour on shore and link the solution to the source, which is upstream”. To inspire this behaviour change, The Beach Co-op is effectively connecting “people, institutions and organisations, through evidence-based education and experiential learning, to keep South Africa’s beaches clean and healthy and to protect and enhance ocean health”.

The Beach Co-op has devised a list of the 12 most common plastic items found on South Africa’s coasts, called the Dirty Dozen. On this list are straws, carrier bags, earbuds, and more. Knowing what types of plastic waste are most commonly found on our beaches helps us understand our consumer habits and which products to steer away from.

“The data from the dirty dozen gives us a lot of information,” says Megan-Rose Francis, operations manager at The Beach Co-op. “The amount of litter and the kinds of litter found on a coastal region differ from place to place, often depending on the service delivery of that area,” she says. The most common plastic found this year have been bottle lids, followed by lollipop sticks and sweet wrappers.

The Beach Co-op has hosted 30 clean-ups this year, collecting a total of 2 153kg of waste. Across all the clean-ups, The Beach Co-op has had 842 science citizens helping clean up our beaches.  “Our organisation, through research, evidence-based education and experiential learning, want to connect communities and people to keep South Africa’s beaches clean and to protect our oceans’ health,” says Megan-Rose.

“As a responsible local bottling company, CCPB plays a visible and leading role in combatting waste. We continue trying to find new ways to educate customers and communities on how waste is affecting the environment, especially marine life. That is why we have partnered with organisations like The Beach Co-op, Robben Island Museum, Sanccob and the like to assist where we can,” she Priscilla.

Beach clean-ups are fun, accessible, and effective ways to make our planet cleaner and healthier.

Join us for the final Plastic Free Mzansi 2022 beach clean-up

• When: 15 December 2022, 4pm – 6pm
• Where: Camps Bay beach (meet opposite Tiger’s Milk)
• Bring along: weather appropriate clothing and water in a reusable bottle
• To reserve your spot for the clean-up, email megan@thebeachcoop.org
• Play the The Dirty Dozen™ beach clean-up game to find out which items can be recycled or not

• Photographs ©The Dollie House