CapeNature will be hosting a series of clean-up events as part of their annual #Don’tBeTrashy Drive. Harnessing the power of the people, the entity calls on communities across the Western Cape to get involved this September and participate in local waste collection activities.

The #DontBeTrashy Drive is part of the broader #Don’tBeTrashy Movement, which is essentially a waste reduction and responsible waste management campaign. The main objective is to address the impact that waste has on our environment and instil a shift in the way that people manage and think about this issue. Clean-ups serve a dual purpose in that they rid the environment of unwanted waste as well as allow participants to experience the waste issue first hand and rethink their own waste habits. Clean-ups are undertaken in an educational manner aiming to effect behavioural change.

“In September 2021, almost 200 bags of waste were removed from the natural environment across nine locations through the #Dontbetrashy Drive. We are hoping to achieve even more this year as we have increased events to fourteen locations”, says Dr Razeena Omar, CEO: CapeNature. “These results will not be possible without the participation of volunteers, and I want to urge communities, schools and volunteer groups to participate in this initiative as each citizen can make a difference in the global fight against waste.”

Although clean-ups and recycling are highlighted in September, it takes place throughout the year. Through strategic partnerships with organisations such as the Hikers Network, regular clean-ups are undertaken on CapeNature reserve trails across the Western Cape. Garbage bags have been placed at strategic points in a number of nature reserves for visitors to use when they are hiking.

An average of 3 million tonnes of waste is generated annually in the Western Cape alone. This environmental challenge necessitates collective action by everyone if we want to leave future generations a sustainable planet. Each member of society needs to be responsible for recycling their own waste where possible.

Want to arrange your own clean-up? Contact CapeNature to provide garbage bags and functional prizes to support your event. Alternatively, join a CapeNature planned event. The #Don’tBeTrashy Drive will incorporate calendar days such as National Clean-Up Day, International Coastal Clean-Up Day and Recycle Week observed in September. CapeNature’s waste management efforts are not done in isolation, but also feed into national interventions, invigorating the Green Good Deeds, an initiative driven by the Office of the President and SALGA’S (South African Local Government Association) Clean Cities Programme. Collateral such as infographics and posters are also available for schools and pop-up bins and bags for events. For more information email learning@capenature.co.za