TWO years ago volunteers collected and removed three tons of litter from the Beachwood Mangroves beach on International Coastal Clean-up Day, the world’s biggest coastal clean-up, and this year the North Durban Honorary Officers are hoping to beat that record.

Held annually on the third Saturday of September, the event has been hosted internationally since 1986.

According to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the initiative worldwide remains the largest volunteer environmental data-gathering effort and clean-up event of coastal and underwater areas to date.

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North Durban honorary officer Terry Goulding explained the event is open to the public.

“We normally host our open morning on the third Saturday of every month but this Saturday there will be no guided tours of the reserve and our efforts will be focused on clean-up efforts. We already have six schools joining us and we are hoping for a good turnout from the community.

“In 2023 we came eighth in the country for amount of rubbish collected by the Sustainable Seas Trust and our goal is to beat that this year. Every year tons of litter ends up in our oceans and this has a devastating effect on the environment. This event is also a way to sensitise people to the effect litter has on our sensitive marine ecosystem,” he said.

Bags and gloves will be provided on the day and participants are encouraged to bring water to drink.

The clean-up takes place on Saturday, September 20.

Gates open at 08:00 and there will be clean-ups across the coastline at the same time.

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