Get involved this Cleanup Day

KNYSNA | PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - There are once more two major clean-ups planned for Knysna and Plettenberg Bay for International Coastal Cleanup Day and World Cleanup Day next month, with one for each town on Saturday 17 September.

International Coastal Cleanup Day (ICC) was first held and organised by Linda Maraniss and Kathy O'Hara on behalf of Ocean Conservancy in 1986 in Washington, on the west coast of the USA, and for the 36 years since it has been held every year on the third Saturday of September.

The initiative has grown immensely since its inception and now includes millions of people from more than 150 countries around the world every year.

World Cleanup Day was first organised in 2018, but is organised on the same day as the ICC and is seen as an off-shoot thereof.

With such rich and biodiverse ecosystems along the South African coastline, it was only natural for International Coastal Cleanup Day to become a success in South Africa.

Knysna and Plett have two annual clean-up initiatives that have provided great support for the local coastal ecosystems through numerous clean-ups over the years.

Plett clean-up

The longest-standing of the two is the one organised by Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) in Plettenberg Bay, which was organised for the first time in 2008. Each year NVT chooses a beach in the Plett area to be the focus on International Coastal Cleanup Day/World Cleanup Day, and then invite members of the public and companies to take part in the day.

This year, Central Beach will be the beneficiary of NVT's clean-up on 17 September, which will begin at 08:30. If you would like to take part, you can contact Lauren Moriarty at lauren@naturesvalleytrust.co.za.

Knysna clean-up(s)

In Knysna the annual Greater Knysna Spring Clean has been organised by Ocean Odyssey since 2018 and attracts hundreds of participants every year. Instead of being a single cleanup that focuses on a specific area, the Greater Knysna Spring Clean brings in a great number of teams and participants to cover as wide a geographical area as possible.

The teams are then designated an area within the greater Knysna municipal area to clean up.

In 2021, a total of 27 teams with more than 250 individuals took part. This year promises to be no different, and if you'd like to create or join a team, you can contact Ocean Odyssey via email on info@oceanodyssey.co.za or by calling 082 355 2066.

Plettenberg Bay Sea Scouts and volunteers participated in World Cleanup Day last year, collecting many bags of waste along Plett's coast.