Coastal Cleanup

The youth of a number of churches in Kleinmond joined their efforts to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup event on 20 September.

On Friday we had a youth evening with speakers from the local penguin colony and botanical gardens speaking about the sensitivity of eco-systems. Sunday morning started with an early worship service that focused on our calling to care for creation, because “God so loved the world”.

Cleanup is fun!

Youth evening

We then split up into two groups. The one group set off to the main beach and estuary of the river while the other went to the local harbor. There everyone put on their surgical gloves and scrambled to pick up the plastics bags, bottles, cans, cigarette butts and other waste.

After an hour everyone returned back to the church hall where they were treated with ice-cream and a group photo was taken.

The results of the cleanup are: 42 bags were filled weighing 121Kg. Among others we collected 184 plastic and 163 glass bottles. 150 beverage tins; 236 grocery bags, 249 food wrappers and 300 metal and plastic caps. 14 fishing nets and buoys, 28 bits of fishing line, nearly 2 dozen golf balls and 3 car tires.

The tragedy was that 5 dead birds were found that died because of ingesting plastic.

At the harbor

Look at all the pollution

Tire, golf balls and more

Making sure of the data

We collected all of this