KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Basin Project (KBP) together with Ocean Odyssey celebrated World Ocean’s day by running an essay competition for the children of Knysna.

According to Louw Claassens, director of KBP, the theme was “what is your waste/litter solution for Knysna”.

“This is particularly applicable seeing that the conservation action focus this year is: Encouraging solutions to plastic pollution and preventing marine litter for a healthier ocean and a better future,” said Claassens.

“We received quite good participation and the essay winners were treated to a boat trip on Friday, June 30 sponsored by Ocean Odyssey. This was a kind of pilot competition to see how things go and was given to a few schools and eco-clubs to enter. Perhaps next year we will have a bigger event and open it up to more people,” added Claassens.

Eco clubs from Knysna Primary School, Knysna Secondary School and various grades from Oakhill School participated in the competition.

Veda Vosloo, a grade 11 learner from Oakhill was announced as the overall winner.

Below are some of her suggestions for a solution to waste/litter in Knysna:

• We can create a company in Knysna funded by all businesses by donations and monthly deposits, in the interest of making recycling more effective, using our recycled materials to make new materials, like woven plastic grocery bags from recycled plastic or make pencils with recycled paper. Businesses that support this company can receive a share of the plastic bags made, free of charge. This company will increase job opportunities and has the potential to expand its product range.
  
  
• The idea of making non littering/recycling posters is that with our winter season of wind and rain, it can potentially end up in the lagoon. Instead, we can ask shops if we can hang them in their windows or paste them by the counters. This will give shops a good stigma that they support the recycling movement as well as persuading the community to recycle.
  
  
• Another way of motivating Knysna to start recycling, besides knowing that we are helping save the environment, would be to give them physical motivation. Eg. Fruit and Veg can make a point system that for every 5 plastic milk cartons you bring in, you get a star, once you have 5 stars you get a free smoothie. Portland Mini Mart gives customers a plastic dish every time they buy tarts or quiches. If they introduce a system where if a costumer brings back 10 containers they get a free tart or quiche, residents will be motivated to keep their plastic and give it back to the shop to reuse, lowering the shop's expenses as well as gaining business.
  
  
• I suggest that the Knysna Municipality invests in several large recycling bins that we can place around the town to make recycling easy. If we can make signs of what goes into which bins, this can help educate people and show them what can be recycled.
  
  
• Using influential people/ person to persuade the community to recycle.
  
  
• The community can challenge the restaurants in Knysna to come up with an eco-friendly take away plan for locals. Instead of only using polystyrene, locals could bring their own containers from home. This may sound ridiculous but how often do you get your left over pizza in a take away box only for your drive home to then have to put it into a plastic container so that you can store it in the fridge?
  
  
• Markets that serve food as it's made, can use thin wooden plates and wooden spoons and forks, or paper plates.
  
  
• Coffee companies could offer discounts for locals that bring their own coffee cups.
  
  
• For restaurants that use fish or seafood it will be beneficial to educate the public that the plastic that we pollute into the oceans, could possibly be consumed by marine life.

ARTICLE:  STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST

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