Clean up our oceans and win with Litter4Tokens!

With World Ocean Day coming into focus on June 8, the issue of plastic pollution worldwide has never been more pressing.

It is going to take a concerted effort from individuals and companies to ensure marine life and ecosystems will be around as we know them in years to come.

Litter4Tokens is one such campaign for change, helping to both reduce litter and uplift the unemployed in rural communities across South Africa since 2015.

Recyclable litter can be collected and exchanged for tokens at a number of kiosks countrywide.

These tokens are used to buy clothing, food and airtime.

The collected litter is sold to recycling facilities that Litter4Tokens partners with to be reused rather than dumped in a landfill, creating a circular economy.

In just 5 years, 528 000 bags of ocean-bound plastics have been intercepted by those who form part of the Litter4Tokens project.

A staggering 105 600 families have been fed at the same time.

“The aim of the Litter4tokens campaign is to instill pride and cleanliness by putting respect back into the communities and encouraging hard work while employing and educating the nation. This campaign is also addressing climate change, global public health, and global poverty at the same time!” said Litter4Tokens founder, Clare Swithenbank-Bowman.

There are a number of ways that you can help the Litter4Tokens cause.

As a company, you could sponsor a kiosk for R10 000 per month as part of an EPR or CSI campaign, which also comes with full branding on the kiosk.

Part funding can also be arranged with Litter4Tokens depending on your budget.

For individuals, the best way to help is to change your daily plastic consumption habits.

Currently 91% of plastics are making their way into landfills worldwide. The best way to limit your footprint is to avoiding plastic bottles, disposable masks, plastic bags and Styrofoam products.

You can also join the Litter4Tokens National Nurdle Clean-Up Competition, launching on June 30.

Litter4Tokens have created a specific nurdle catching device, the Mermaid Tear Catcher (MTC), which is made from ocean-bound recycled plastic.

The MTC is designed to sift through dry sea or river sand to find nurdles.

It also doubles as a frisbee!

Nurdles, also called mermaid tears, are lentil sized pellets made of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride.

They are shipped in pellet form to be used in the production of plastic products worldwide.

If they do not reach their final destination, however, the nurdles often find their way into our oceans and can be hugely detrimental to marine life and the environment.

It can be ordered at litter4tokens.co.za, with all proceeds going towards Litter4Tokens kiosks around the country.

Once the nurdles have been collected, they can be dropped off at participating lifesaving clubs from Cape Town to KwaDukuza, where they will be recycled to create bricks.

There will be monthly prizes for the most collections, with big prizes for the full competition, which will end on December 31.

If you would like to be a part of this campaign and sponsor prizes please contact clare@litter4tokens.co.za.

Visit litter4tokens.co.za/national-nurdle-mermaid-tear-clean-up-competition/ for more information.