Litter often piles up at Lagoon Beach in Milnerton. It could be assumed that a large portion of the litter comes from ships entering the Cape Town Harbour nearby. Picture: David Ritchie Independent Newspapers
A 21-year-old environmental activist will be embarking on the longest beach clean-up attempt in the country.
Activist Zoë Prinsloo will be attempting to set a world record for the longest beach clean-up at Milnerton Lagoon Beach from Friday, December 8 until Saturday, December 9.
Prinsloo, who is well known for her efforts in advocating for the conservation of the coastal areas and sea, founded her non-profit company, Save a Fishie, when she was 16 and has been conducting regular beach clean-ups across beaches in the city of Cape Town for more than five years.
She said the aim of the two days is a continuous beach clean-up of 27 hours to create awareness of the environmental issues at hand.
A spokesperson for the upcoming clean-up said South Africa had become a country seen as the largest producer of plastic waste in Africa, accounting for more than 2% of the world’s ocean pollution.
She said: “We generate an astonishing two million tons of plastic waste every year. Less than 5% of this waste is recycled while the rest pollutes our streets, landfills, water systems, and our natural environment, including the ocean. SA’s marine life is drowning in life-threatening plastic waste.”
She announced that to assist Prinsloo in her mission this weekend, restaurant group John Dory’s “Zero Waste” initiative had stepped up to support Save a Fishie and Zoë on her groundbreaking record attempt.
John Dory’s chief operating officer Donovan Cronje said the collaboration was pertinent to John Dory’s brand, as its “Zero Waste” initiative supported projects and organisations that promote recycling, reduce waste, and encourage the public to protect the environment.
Cronje said: “This is in line with our overall purpose of leading for the greater good. The John Dory’s ‘Zero Waste’ initiative is a platform whereby for every John Dory’s hake and chips sold, R1 is donated to fund more projects such as these.”
The beach clean-up by Save a Fishie and John Dory’s will start on Friday at 10am at Milnerton Beach and will end at 1pm.
The public is invited to come and support the last hour of the clean-up at noon on Saturday.
Cape Argus
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