Clean-ups – Clean Up & Recycle

Each year, the local plastics industry encourages citizens to make a difference where they live, work, learn or play by participating in Clean-Ups around the country, throughout the year, but especially during Recycle SA Week – an annual public awareness week during which plastics and other litter are removed from our country’s neighbourhoods, rivers, streams, beaches and oceans.

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Clean-up and Recycle 2023

Clean-up and Recycle 2022

Clean-up and Recycle 2021

Plastics|SA’s 25^th year of coordinating South Africa’s participation in the International Coastal Clean-Up Day, was another huge success. More than 15 000 volunteers took part in clean-ups in the coastal areas, as well as at rivers, streams, inland water sources and in communities throughout the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape under the International Coastal Clean-Up and Clean-up & Recycle SA banners. 350 000 refuse bags were distributed to coordinators!

Watch the inspiring video below to see just how busy South Africans were cleaning up our environment.

Clean-up and Recycle 2020

The 2020 Clean-Up & Recycle SA week took place from 14 – 19 September 2020, culminating in National Recycling Day on Friday, 18 September 2020 and South Africa’s 24th year of participating in the annual International Coastal Clean-Up Day which took place on Saturday, 19 September.

The 2020 Clean-Up & Recycle SA Week looked slightly different due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s limitations, however, we supported the global call to avoid large group gatherings and maintain social distancing in the interest of everybody’s health and safety.

Instead of flocking to beaches or gathering in large groups for clean-ups, Plastics SA spread the message that every South African should be an eco-warrior… one who wears a mask, maintains safe distancing and makes a difference in their immediate area.

In the same way the health pandemic has forced individuals to take responsibility for their health, the plastics and packaging industries are uniting their voices in calling on South Africans to also become responsible citizens when it comes to disposing of their waste. Plastics SA believes it is possible for us to turn the tide on ocean pollution if every person becomes conscious of his or her immediate surroundings and picks up the visible litter around our homes and neighbourhoods.

The Clean-up and Recycle Coloring-in Competition was well supported with hundreds of entries received from around the country. Thank you and congratulations to each and every learner that entered! Your entries were all beautiful!

The top 4 winners were:

First prize: Kutlwano Vilakazi, 11, Dobsonville, who won a R1 000 Pick n Pay voucher and R1 000 cash.

Second prize: Khloe Naidoo, 10 years of age, from Steelpoort in Limpopo. Khloe won a R500 voucher from Pick n Pay and R800 cash.

Third prize: Lia van Rensburg, 8 years old, from Port Elizabeth won a R500 Pick n Pay voucher as well as R500 cash.

Fourth prize: Carter Kroon, 7 years old, also from Port Elizabeth, won a R500 Pick n Pay voucher and R200 cash.

River Clean-up Day

Rivers and streams are an important part of South Africa’s water network. Unfortunately, they are often badly polluted by chemicals, sewage, plastics and other visible litter caused by drains and water channels leading from roads as well as communities living in close proximity to the river banks and where there is no waste management system in place.

South Africa has ten major rivers that cross the length and breadth of South Africa, namely the mighty Orange River in the Northern Cape/Free State), Limpopo River (Limpopo), Vaal River (Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Cape), Tugela River (KwaZulu-Natal), Olifants River (Limpopo / Mpumalanga), Gamtoos River (Eastern Cape), Great Kei River (Western Cape), Komati River (Mpumalanga), Great Fish River (Eastern Cape) and Molopo River (North-West).

Plastics SA partners with Durban Solid Waste Education and Waste Minimisation, Adopt-A-River, Green Corridor and Triple-P to clean the various rivers and stream in the Durban area. …………………………….