It all started one day during an outdoor photo shoot.

While the camera was flashing, Doreen Bezuidenhout struggled to take one eye off the trash that littered the area.

In an age when cleaning up the planet is the subject of many social media posts, she’d been worried about the damage that discarded plastic was causing since she was a child.

Having been crowned Miss Teen Planet Grand Prix in 2016, Doreen has always had a special place in her heart for charitable work, with a focus on the environment.

Recently, as part of her bid for the Miss Krugersdorp crown, she started the #NoToPlastic project.

I will be cleaning up one park a week in the fight against plastic and its toxins. I would like to urge all residents of Krugersdorp to help me in the fight against climate change. If we don’t act now, global warming will be irreversible by 2030!”

Doreen hopes that her success in the pageantry world will benefit her cause. She’s been involved in pageantry since she was only eight years old.

“Now I focus on doing charitable pageants that really help me improve as a person, and of which the main goal is to help others.”

Over the long term she hopes to start her own non-profit organisation after finishing her degree in Marketing.

I’ve been involved in helping kids, older persons and animals. Right now I focus on the environment, but I’m also handing out food to the needy and helping wherever I can.”

Currently, Doreen is preparing for the final gala event where she will be expected to do interviews, and three rounds on stage where she’ll wear the official Miss Krugersdorp Uniform, a recycled-materials outfit and evening wear.

Finally, “Be so content in who you are and your goals, close your eyes to the haters and take up space in the world. Also remember to wear your sunscreen,” she jested.