PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - In keeping with tradition, Nature's Valley Trust (NVT) once again commemorated World Oceans Day with a beach-sized clean-up operation of Lookout Beach.
Commemorated every year on 8 June, millions of people around the world flock to their chosen beaches and/or coastal areas to clean up whatever mess has been left behind by humans.
NVT hosted their annual Lookout Beach clean-up last weekend, with a good, positive turnout on Saturday 10 June.
"We as society are crucial advocates in raising awareness for the issues our environment and oceans are facing and we are thankful for the efforts of the day in this celebration and awareness event with participants conquering the full stretch of Lookout Beach and collecting 15 bags of waste and other larger debris along the way," said Lauren Moriarty, NVT Conservation Scientist and Environmental Education Coordinator.
Volunteers got down and dirty during the Lookout Beach clean-up.
"This is a protected area, where one of the largest Kelp Gull breeding colony is found between Lookout Beach and the Keurbooms Peninsula. This being the perfect time of year to go in and clean out the dune area as winter creeps in and the shore breeding birds are out of their breeding season."
A large portion of the 1 824 items that were collected was plastic pieces (<2,5 cm), plastic packaging, plastic bottle caps and food wrappers.
"Thank you to all who joined in to support this clean-up and a big thank you to our partner Pick n Pay People n Planet for the team's effort on the day, and the lovely refreshments made available to all who attended. Let's continue to work together towards inspiring change for a healthy and cleaner environment."
Moriarty thanked the following groups/organisations for their participation in the day: Bitou Municipality, CapeNature, Keep Plett Clean, Plettenberg Bay Sea Scouts Group, The Crags Primêre Skool and Plettenberg Bay community members.
Clean-up participants carried bags around with them to collect the trash they found.
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