September 19th marked the annual Internal Coastal Clean Up Day supported by over 90 countries worldwide. How awesome is that!
I have not been part of the fun the past couple of years as it falls on the same weekend each year as a niece’s birthday in Plettenberg Bay.
I was happy to be part of the volunteer team again this year.
As with all years, there are donations from our community and sponsorship from various companies including The Waste Trade Company, General Motors South Africa, Colchester KwikSpar, Algoa Plastics, PPC Cement and many more.
I was amazed at the wonderful sponsorship and donations this year, affording the kids incredible goody bags and wonderful prizes – it was extremely heart warming.
Goody bags were filled with so many wonderful things
There were 150 local kiddies (mostly from Colchester primary school) who participated in the day which started with homemade soup, rolls and apples at registration after collecting their t-shirts.
Fuelling up before trash bashing
Before everyone set out on picking up what others have carelessly discarded, The Waste Trade Company’s representative Emmy Nxayeka gave a fabulously enthusiastic and all important environmental talk emphasising the importance of the three R’s:-
“In order to drive environmental change we need to start by educating our youth,” Kay Hardy, general manager of The Waste Trade Company.
Learning how to care for our environment
Much excitement to go on the river
The day ended with boerewors (sausage) rolls and cake as well as the much anticipated prize giving. The children get so excited wondering if they could possibility be the only boy and the only girl to win a bicycle. Before the final draw for the bicycles, there were 40 other great prizes including backpacks, food hampers and grocery gift vouchers.
The boys bike is donated by Colchester Spar and the girls bike by PPC Cement
Lots of lovely prizes
640kg of trash was collected over 2 hours
The Complete Book 
What a great community event. And how lovely for the kids to get involved and then be rewarded with goody bags and the chance to win prizes. The bikes look very smart! xx
It’s lovely to see the kids enthusiasm and excitement. Have a wonderful day. 🙂 xo
FAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaBULOUS way to donate your time…
but don’t you HATE that we must do this?
Why do people litter? WHY? I get so mad when people don’t care about our environment, Don’t’ you?
Lets see more photos of your kitties, darling 🙂 xxxxx kissssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Absolutely hate that we have to do these things Kim. Pete and I went for a walk on the beach the other day and of all things I found a pregnancy test – how that would land up on a remote desolate beach that very few people can get to amazes me! I often walk up to people who have just thrown something on the ground and make them pick it up and put it in a rubbish bin, which is always in close proximity! Really gets my goat! Will send you some photos soon. Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xoxoxo
OOO, I love that you tell people to utilize the rubbish bin! Who brought these ignorant people up?! xxx have a lovely day!!!
Makes me seriously angry! Off for a run, wearing Kay’s T-shirt. 🙂 xoxoxoxoxo
A very educational and great event!
It is such an important event to have every year Angie. Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
Initiatives like this are so fantastic, but as someone else said earlier, it’s sch a shame that they are needed. Near our home in England we often have beach clean up events but I am ashamed to say that the Spanish attitude to discarding rubbish (while not everyone, and it is improving) is still very much “chuck it out the car window or down a ravine” 😦
I think a few Spanish and I would not see eye to eye. So very sad that we don’t all have the same environmental attitude. We are slowly joking mother nature to death. Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
😦 Luckily Big Man is not one of the baddies!
Never doubted that for a second. 🙂 xo
Hi Mandy, they do the same thing on the coast in Oregon, such a great event to volunteer for.
Wonderful! Wish we could do something more than once a year. Have a happy day Cheri. 🙂 xo
What a terrific group to do this and the donations are truly amazing. Such a shame that it’s even necessary but some people will just never care. We have earth day here and all of the towns do pretty much the same thing but throughout the year I have a neighbor who walks every day. She always takes 3-4 garbage bags and fills them every day from trash along the roads near us. Most of it’s the on it size liquor bottles and beer cans and bottles but some is full bags of McDonalds wrappers. Such pigs.
I love the idea of doing this throughout the year Diane and when Pete and I go anywhere I am also always picking up trash, except for on my run. 😀 Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xo
Good on you for getting involved in such an important community event.
Love to you
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Julie! Have a beautiful day. 🙂 xo
Can this organization come to Hong Kong? A great way to get kids involved and interested in caring for their environment. We have participated in several beach clean ups here in HK and it really is horrific the amount of trash deposited into the oceans and washed up onto the beaches. I am glad you could get involved in this event.
Bam it does seem as if they do do it in Hong Kong. Have a look-see here for more infor: http://www.oceanconservancy.org/our-work/international-coastal-cleanup/?referrer=https://www.google.co.za/
It horrifies me to know how little people care about our planet – so very sad. Have a super day. 🙂 xo
Thanks for the link dear…HK does cleanup but only after the damage has been done. We need to prevent industries and boats from dumping first. and here we are at home recycling to the 10th degree… it is such a shame
Agreed Bam. x
This sounds like such a wonderful community event. And whenever you can educate today’s youth about something other than a celebrity, I am definitely here for it. I wish they did this event near my home, it would benefit so much. Thank you for posting about this Mandy.
Absolutely Kia. The youth of today are growing up in a world so very different to what you and I did. Such a pity we can’t do this the world over every year. Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
What a well organized event. We have a monthly beach clean up but it always happens when we have racing 🙂
How lovely to have a monthly event Tandy. Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
What a fabulous event and an opportunity for kids to learn all kinds of amazing lessons
It truly is a great event Tania. Have a super day. 🙂 xo
What a great event! Well done to all the sponsors!
Thanks Zirkie. Have a happy day. 🙂 xo
What a fabulous event Mandy! 90 countries do this? That’s incredible. It looks like it was a beautiful day for it too. Hope you’re enjoying a wonderful weekend! Xo
It’s incredible that so many countries participate Kristy. Having a beautiful weekend with my brother and his family. Have a super week ahead. 🙂 xo
Bravo Mandy. Great effort.
Thanks very much Sally. Have a happy week ahead. 🙂 xo
The world sighs in relief when events like this happen.
Wish more of the world would participate Karen. Have a super day. 🙂 xo
This event reminds me of when I was a wee pup, we used to participate in Clean Up Australia Day, it was an initiative that had school kids sweep the streets of their town/city and pick up trash. There would be entertainment and we’d be encouraged to dress in theme. They some how made the process fun, and we were doing amazing things for our country too.
So, I am all for this, you done good!!! Wishing you a super weekend lovely one. Hugs and love across the oceans. xox
How fun to dress in theme Anna – love that idea. Not sure we could make it work here though. Love and hugs to you sweety. Have a beautiful love filled happy and chilled weekend. 🙂 xoxoxo
That is just fabulous Mands. Just fabulous. Great images too. 🙂
Thanks my friendy. 🙂 xoxoxo