Clean-up and Recycle Campaign
In 2000, Plastics SA initiated Clean-up and Recycle SA Week, which takes place annually, during the week before the International Coastal Clean-up.
This clean-up week is a national event and includes:
- National River Clean-up Day (Wednesday)
- Recycling Day SA (Friday)
- International Coastal Clean-up Day (Saturday)
- World Clean-up day (Saturday)
Clean-ups have allowed for greater awareness and monitoring of the problem. Thanks to the ongoing commitment of organisations such as Ocean Conservancy, The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), The African Waste Network and Plastics|SA, who have added their weight to ensuring that more people in Africa, and specifically Southern Africa, are familiar with the issue of marine debris.
Support from organisations and individuals is essential if the Clean-up and Recycle SA Campaign, National Recycling Day, World Clean-Up Day and International Coastal Clean-up Day are to be successful.
Plastics SA is part of the Let’s Do It Foundation (the initiator of the World Cleanup Day) – an accredited member of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and unites a network of 113 countries. Let’s Do It Foundation’s new initiative calls 150 countries to join the World Clean-up Days with the aim to mobilize hundreds of millions of people in a single day event to clean up illegal waste. This action serves the purpose of starting a rapid change for a cleaner planet. Established in Estonia, the movement has since 2008 engaged more than 18 million people in nationwide clean-up campaigns and Zero Waste initiatives because tackling waste pollution, adopting sustainable waste management systems, redesigning and innovating for maximum material recovery will play a significant role in reaching the goals for sustainable development.