Cape Town - As Cape Town’s beaches and swimming pools became crowded with visitors and locals out to enjoy their festive holiday this week, the increased numbers led to an excess of beach waste and concerns over waste management systems in place during the festive period.
“Due to the significant increase in the number of visitors to the beaches and the swimming pools during the festive season, there is a direct correlation between the quantum of waste generated and the number of visitors to the area,” said Community Services and Health mayco member Patricia van der Ross.
As part of the City’s Festive Season Plan of Operation, departments increased the required resources and services to coastal areas, beaches and swimming pools and added interventions aimed at mitigating the impact on the natural and social environment.
Van der Ross said these interventions included not allowing alcohol on beaches (reducing the risk of broken bottles and glass), activation of the Beach Buddies Programme to aid with general beach clean-ups, raising awareness and support for beach management activities, and the employment of additional Expanded Public Works Programme staff for cleaning of facilities at pools.
She said the employment of lifeguards was not only to monitor water safety but to be vigilant and promote awareness with beachgoers and swimming pool users to keep the environment clean and not litter.
“Law enforcement also enforces the required by-laws and regulations relating to environmental protection and conservation along the coastline and the beaches on an ongoing basis,” said Van der Ross.
She encouraged visitors to dispose of their litter, but said “unfortunately” not everyone abided by the request.
Waste-ED founder Candice Mostert said people needed to understand how to use public waste systems and manage their own waste at home for local and national benefit.
“Simple communications on waste systems from the City would go a long way, such as clear signage and frequent online communications, but large campaigns and an integrated zero waste system for all public spaces would ultimately transform local waste systems,” said Mostert.
The Beach Co-op founder and director Aaniyah Omardien said on beaches and at clean-ups they found that food packaging, individually wrapped sweets and food wrappings were a major “waste culprit”.
“Something I noticed yesterday (at their beach clean-up in Kalk Bay) was that people had dug holes to bury their styrofoam cups. I found one styrofoam cup torn into little bits and bundled into a bunch of tiny styrofoam bits and then buried in the sand. I also found three nappies buried in the sand. That needs to stop.”
The Beach Co-op encouraged the public to join its other clean-ups, especially its new moon clean-up at Surfers Corner in Muizenberg this Sunday at 9am and its clean-up at Harmony Park Tidal Pool on January 5.