Pupils takes a stand against pollution
THE large amount of plastic waste found at the Dalebrook tidal pool in Kalk Bay startled a 13-year-old girl so much that she has made it her mission to improve the state of coastal areas and inspire others to do the same.
Jade Bothma, a pupil from Fish Hoek High School, became the founder of Oceano Reddentes, a non-profit organisation, due to her concern over marine life.
Bothma was out on an excursion one afternoon at the rocky shore when she came upon a tremendous amount of plastic found all over the sea urchins. This motivated Bothma and her team to take action on Saturday at the Dalebrook tidal pool.
Almost 100 individuals, children and adults attended the clean-up along with organisations such as SeaTheBiggerPicture, Trail Freedivers and Stasherbag SA.
UCT Underwater Club, Cape Town junior city mayor and the junior city council also took part in the clean up.
“Waste gets into the ocean from our rivers, stormwater drains, ships and people throwing away their litter. Our dump is very near the ocean and the wind carries plastic from the dump site to the ocean.
“This clean-up can show people what can and can’t be recycled, how to make eco bricks and how to think green,” said Bothma.
Children were given a rocky shore marine biology lesson while they performed the clean-up.
Large amounts of small plastic pieces, fishing lines, glass and other types of waste were picked up. All the waste picked up will be recycled.
According to a Western Cape government statement, eight million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, which creates the large amount of small plastic pieces found in the sea that are commonly mistaken for food by marine animals.
“At the previous Dalebrook clean-up, we found a dead baby turtle and an autopsy at Two Oceans Aquarium found large amounts of microplastic inside the turtle and this is the reason why these clean-ups are so important.
“We need to remove plastic waste off the sea urchins and sea bed because when plastic breaks down it releases toxic chemicals into the ocean which will further damage marine life,” said Bothma.
“It’s time to start thinking about how our actions affect the environment. We need to take care of the world around us so that it can take care of us,” she said.