PLASTIC, paper, furniture, mannequins, medication, condoms, animal carcasses and even car parts are some of the many types of waste that Clean Surf Project members have found strewn along the South Coast shoreline.
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Since the outbreak of Covid-19, disposable masks have been added to the list of common waste that washes down with rivers into the ocean. While disposable face masks can help protect the wearer from inhaling deadly germs, the downside is that they are mostly not disposed of properly when they have been used. A short walk at the river mouth in Umbogintwini, disposable masks can be seen strewn among the heaps of waste that land on the beach daily and this has created an increasing problem as the material they are made of is not bio-degradable.
Clean Surf Project’s Romy Wentzel, said there has not been a day since last year that a mask has not been found along the South Coast coastline, verges and streets when they conduct clean-ups.
“While it is mandatory to make use of a face mask, we are urging the public to either use reusable face masks and/ or deposit masks into bins provided as the material they are made of cannot be naturally decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms, thereby causing pollution,” she said.
In addition to masks, Romy said disposable nappies are another great concern as bags containing them are often dumped into canals and rivers.
“As soon as it rains, such material gets washed away towards the sea, causing nappies to be scattered all along the coastline and river mouths. Just like the face masks, nappies are nonbiodegradable, hence causing an immense negative impact on our ecosystems,” she said.
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