September 2015 is CLEAN-UP SA MONTH. During this month the annual CLEAN-UP SA WEEK will run over the period 14 – 19 September 2015,  with Recycling Day  SA scheduled on 18 Sep and the International Coastal Clean-Up Day forming part of  this on 19 September 2015.

International Coastal Clean-Up Day is dedicated to the improvement of beaches, coastal regions and surrounding areas throughout the world. It purports to be the largest volunteer event in the world, and has operated for over 26 years.

South Africa has a coastline of 3 751 km, the second largest coastline within the Southern African Development Community (SADEC), with  Mozambique almost double that at 6 942 km of coastline.

Over the last few decades there has been a steady increase in the use of plastic products resulting in a proportionate rise in plastic debris in the seas around Southern Africa but compared to the Northern Hemisphere the issue of marine debris does not receive the same attention in the Southern Hemisphere.
Plastics is used extensively in both food and water packaging because of their inherent properties such as low bulk densities and inertness that make them convenient carrier materials and low risk contaminants.

Plastics SA is a co-signatory of the Global Plastics Industry Marine Declaration on Marine Debris and has started various projects to combat marine debris and increase recycling of the material.

More info at http://www.marinelitternetwork.org/group/south-african-marine-litter-network

Various Role players will soon be invited to assist in the coordination of a project to involve Residents of Jeffreys Bay in this CLEAN-UP SA WEEK with the focus on Recycling Day SA scheduled for 18 Sep and the International Coastal Clean-Up Day on 19 Sep 2015.