By Cale Nuttall
A group of students from CPUT and Syracuse University in New York participated in a beach clean-up. Photo: Greg Player from Cape Town Beach Cleanup
The lighthouse in Milnerton witnessed the beach clean-up on the cloudy morning of July 17th, 2024. Dedicated students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in New York joined efforts against plastic pollution on the Beaches of Cape Town. Facilitated by IKapa Impact, the day was about more than just picking up litter; it was about fostering a powerful collaboration to combat one of Cape Town's biggest environmental problems.
Greg (left) briefing the students on the beach clean-up in front of Beach Blanc Milnerton. Photo: Dee Moskoff from Ikapa Impact
Preparation and discussion about plastic pollution
After briefly meeting at the CPUT District Six campus, the students headed to Milnerton Lighthouse where they met with Greg from Cape Town Beach Clean-up. Greg shared the importance of keeping our beaches clean and the significance of Nelson Mandela Day.
“The reason why we do this, I guess there are multiple reasons why we do it, it’s Mandela Day and we want to do something good, so here we are. Another reason is that it’s good for the environment, how, well the stuff on the beach can potentially go back into the ocean and the problem begins there.” Greg added by sharing the role of recycling and awareness to combat plastic pollution.
Recyclable waste found on Milnerton Beach. Photo: Greg from Cape Town Beach Clean Up. Photo: Greg Player from Cape Town Beach Clean Up.
Battling Beach Pollution: What makes Milnerton and Blouberg a good place to start
Milnerton and Blouberg Beach have recently experienced a lot of pollution washed up on the shore due to the adverse weather conditions. Plastic and other rubbish are washed into the drains and end up on the beach and ocean, harming wildlife and their natural habitats.
“Over the last couple of weeks, it’s been raining hectically,” Greg explained. “The rain washes all the [waste] through the stormwater drains, into the lagoon and then into the sea and with the northwester that blows up onto this perfect catchment area. That’s why we do Milnerton Lighthouse a lot.”
The students were given gloves and a plastic bag and began to take part in what was for many, their first beach clean-up. Along the way, Greg spoke with the students about sustainable ways of combatting plastic pollution. We learnt that landfills are quickly filling up, and we need to find sustainable ways of disposing of waste. Recycling helps take some of the burden from landfills and acts as a temporary solution.
"It wasn't my first beach clean-up, but it gave me a fresh perspective nonetheless," said Jamie, a second-year journalism student. "In past clean-ups, it seemed like the efforts didn't extend past the clean-up itself. With the one we did on Wednesday; a lot of emphasis was put on what we could do as a collective and on implementing preventative measures rather than just curative ones. I found the experience eye-opening, and it gave me ideas for narratives that a journalist could explore to ensure initiatives like beach clean-ups and plastic waste awareness are brought to the forefront of public consciousness.”
The students with Dee and Greg in front of the ‘Protect the Oceans’ mural in Milnerton. Photo: Luke Swanepoel
Confronting the "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" Mentality: Integrating Plastic Pollution Awareness into Our Education
Personally, what resonated with me the most was the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality that many adopt when it comes to serious issues such as global warming and plastic pollution. If we are not faced with a particular issue every day, we tend to forget the urgency of it and at times, that it even exists.
As students, we intend to integrate the topic of plastic pollution into our syllabus for the remainder of the year. We strongly believe that fostering conversations and building awareness in our personal and professional capacities is an important part of influencing people to be more mindful about where their waste ends up.
“The intervention against plastic pollution in Cape Town indicates an essential collaboration between CPUT and Syracuse University which shows the pivotal role that institutions of higher learning must espouse in contributing to a cleaner sustainable environment. It also bears testimony to the active thrust towards transformative community engagement and smart partnerships at CPUT. It is anticipated that more cross-cultural and academic exchanges will occur between the two institutions.” Said Dr Hermon Ogbamichael, head of the Journalism program at CPUT.
The educational tour taught all of us to be more conscious about recycling and the impact plastic pollution has on our oceans. By participating in the beach clean-up, we learnt about our oceans and how damaging human behaviour is to the natural world. Daily, we all have a responsibility to keep our communities and campuses clean to prevent plastic waste from ending up in our oceans.
By doing our bit in the spirit of Mandela Day, we realized that our collective efforts could contribute to a larger movement towards environmental preservation. This experience emphasised the importance of uniting to combat pollution. It inspired us to integrate these lessons into our daily lives, classrooms and future professional practices, ensuring we make a positive impact on the environment.
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This beautifully written article reminds us that our actions have a direct impact on the environment and that collective responsibility can lead to a cleaner, healthier world for all living beings.
This is a well written piece and again a great engagement in a fight against Sea Pollution.
Well written and very informative, really makes one think of our carbon footprint and how much litter we create in our environment. Thank you to all of you for taking the time to lend a hand in cleaning up one of our beautiful beaches