Tourism, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, at the Coastal Clean Up campaign
16 September 2006
Programme Director
Bill Naude from the Plastic Federation
Distinguished guests
Our school kids
Volunteers
Ladies and gentlemen
I am very much excited to join you here today as one of the volunteers to
participate in today's Coastal Clean up campaign. As a country we are joining
millions of other volunteers across the globe to clean up our beaches and
coastal lines.
According to Ocean Conservancy, an organisation that started this programme
back in 1986, last year during the International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers
picked up over 8 million pounds of trash from our beaches and waterways. This
could be enough picnic supplies for a family of four to have a picnic every day
for the next 60 years.
Programme Director, the clean up is unique in many ways, not only because it
is an international effort involving so many people from a variety of countries
� but also because the volunteers actually categorise the waste they find. This
waste is captured into data sheets that are then collected and compiled into an
international 'snapshot' of the types of garbage found floating up to our
shores, and what areas are being most impacted upon.
Different types of garbage and waste were collected during last year's clean
up campaign. Statistics revealed that plastic products and cigarette butts form
the majority of waste found in our coastlines. During the 2004 clean-up
campaign in our country, more than 2 000 volunteers collected 16 tons of marine
debris, most of which comprised of plastic beverage bottles, food wrappers, and
cigarette butts.
Plastic products in particular pose a serious threat to marine life not only
on the shorelines, but in our open waters as well. Plastic bags, balloons, and
straws are deadly to fish, birds and amphibians that might swallow them.
Programme Director in short, everything we throw away will always find its way
to the environment and endanger our wildlife.
Allow me to demonstrate in a more practical way, the dangers caused by waste
material on our marine environment. Plastic bags floating in the water resemble
jellyfish. Immature turtles and whales have been found to mistake them for
jellyfish. Plastic bottles are often mistaken for cuttlefish given their tough
but chewy texture. Again, it is whales, and turtles that suffer the
consequences of consuming this waste. Birds often confuse plastic bits for
food. Animals fill their bellies with plastic waste thus creating a false sense
of satisfaction which results in malnutrition and mortality.
Ropes from ships, fishing lines and broken nets result in entanglements that
in turn result in suffocation of marine animals. Just like you would not want
to live in a home polluted by others' inconsiderate waste, a natural
environment means a safer and healthier home for plants and animals.
Programme Director as you may be aware, South Africa has a history of
embarking on a fight against pollution ranging from air, water, oceans and any
other land based activities that generate waste and pollution. The Blue Flag
campaign, WIO-LaB (Addressing Land Based Activities in the West Indian Ocean)
project, Marine Week, Coast Care programme and this Coastal Clean Up event are
some of the campaigns we engage in to combat marine pollution.
It is with pride that I can announce that South Africa now has 20 Blue Flag
beaches. I am also excited to note that the next round of Blue Flag
announcements will be done in the not so distant future. I am reliably informed
that the announcement will be done here in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Programme Director, nearly 80% of marine litter which ends in our oceans
comes from land-based sources and therefore needs to be reduced. You might
recall that last year on 24 May, we were in Richards Bay to launch the WIO-LaB
project. This project focuses on the prevention of marine pollution from
land-based activities. This is our response to marine pollution resulting from
agricultural activities, industrial waste, municipal and domestic waste
including the littering taking place in our rivers such as the debris and waste
collected today at Umgeni and other areas along this beach.
I therefore urge those who care about our own people's health, to take a
stand and fight against polluting our beautiful rivers, beaches and the entire
coastal environment.
Last year when we cleaned Robben Island as part of this programme, we
managed to gather 450 bags of debris, plastic bags, bottles, and any other
waste materials you may never think of. I am delighted to inform you that this
year through the assistance of the Plastic Bag Federation we have managed to
distribute 575 000 bags at our coastal areas for the purpose of today's
event.
In conclusion I want to take this opportunity to thank all sponsors for
today's event - the Plastic Bag Federation, Pick and Pay, South African
Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) Education as well as Ezemvelo KZN WildLife and
all the volunteers for making this event a great success!
We couldn't have asked for a better day. Let us make coastal clean up our
daily activity.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
16 September 2006
Source: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (http://www.deat.gov.za)
