JOIN A BEACH CLEAN-UP AND LOG TRASH
The Marine Debris Tracker is an app, supported by the National Geographic Society, that enables citizen scientists from around the world to upload information about oceanic (and inland) waste.
The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town is among the groups that make use of the tracker when organising beach clean-ups. Items that get collected – such as earbuds, plastic straws, chip packets and fishing gear – are counted and logged within the app. This open data platform can then be accessed by research scientists, or anyone else, looking for information on the amount and types of rubbish found on specific beaches or along waterways.
The aquarium typically organises beach clean-ups during spring and summer, such as the clean up held on Monwabisi Beach on International Coastal Cleanup Day in September 2021. However, you can collect waste on beaches at any time and log the information within the app.
To get involved, download the Marine Debris Tracker and head to the beach with a refuse bag and some rubber gloves. If youʼd prefer to participate in an organised beach clean-up, look out for events on the websites and social media pages of KZN Beach Cleanup, The Beach Co-op, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) and the Two Oceans Aquarium.
021 418 3823, www.aquarium.co.za