Winklespruit Beach clean-up rakes in 25 litter bags

THE Clean Surf Project’s Winkle Beach clean-up last Saturday, 5 August was a great success.

Effort contributed by all sectors of the community saw that stretch of the beach and rocks left spotless.

Present at the clean-up were fire fighters who used their expertise and equipment to spray down the Winkle rocks, Sapphire Coast Tourism, Jace Govender who assisted in planning, Cllr Andre Beetge, law enforcement and CCPO who patrolled the area, Winkle Lifesaving club who hosted and many members of the community who tackled the tedious task.

“The clean-up was absolutely great,” said the NGO’s Evan Geldenhuys.

“Twenty five bags filled with litter were picked up in the 500-metre stretch of coastline. It’s shocking that two of these bags were solely fishing line that was washed out from between the rocks with the firehose. These 25 bags full of litter would have been washed into the ocean, having devastating effects on the marine species.”

Clean Surf Project’s Denzil van der Westhuizen and Evan Geldenhuys agree that without those who rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in, they would be fighting a losing battle in their hope of creating a healthier and happier environment for all beach lovers, ocean life included.

“We are currently working on aerial pictures supplied by a fellow lifeguard and pilot, which will add great value to our project’s aim in identifying the worst polluted coastline areas,” said Denzil. “Our coastline plays a huge role in our everyday living, from surfing, fishing, beach vendors to businesses. Our fish species is in great danger and this is caused by us humans. Littering sanctions need to be more strictly enforced.”

Clean Surf Project is planning another clean up shortly, due to the fact that not all areas could be reached on Saturday because of thick dune areas.

“Our aim is to have at least three clean-ups at every stretch of beach we attend, from where we’ll move to neighboring beaches,” said Evan.

“In this way we hope to build a bigger community awareness about littering. Assist in working with us to try and protect our beautiful coastline, as it belongs to all of us. “

Follow the Facebook page at Clean Surf Project, where the dates of future clean-ups and progress reports will be posted.

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