On the 15th of September, Bay Harbour Market will take part in World Cleanup Day, where millions of volunteers from around the world will embark on one of the largest civic projects the world has ever seen. World Cleanup Day brings like-minded people together to make our planet a cleaner, better place. From Hawaii to New Zealand, people will unite to clean roads, forests, rivers and beaches over 36 hours to clean up and fix our environment for a better future.

On the day, Bay Harbour Market, #SEATHEBIGGERPICTURE and a group of other organisations and volunteers will clean up the Hout Bay harbour and the Fish On The Rocks area, recycling the all the plastic waste while contributing to environmental research. All plastic collected will be used to create eco bricks. By taking the plastic waste and tightly compacting it into bottles, it can be re-used to better poor communities by building structures such as homes and schools. This makes the cleanup a sustainable solution, not only for the environment of the future, but also bettering the lives of the less fortunate.

Our oceans are currently facing a man-made epidemic. By the year 2050, it is estimated that the weight of all waste in the ocean will exceed that of fish! This is why it is imperative for us to unite and rid the Earth of all its litter. Whether it’s the millions of birds that have died from eating plastic, or the oceanic eco-system being destroyed by litter, the damage we have done to the Earth can only be undone if we all come together to do our bit.

A large group of like-minded organisations will come together to help with the big cleanup including:

  • Animal Ocean Seal Snorkeling
  • Cape Town Freediving
  • Dive Inn Cape Town
  • False BayUnderwater Club
  • Ocean Conservancy
  • Old Mutual Sub-Aqua Club
  • Pick n Pay
  • Plastics SA
  • Sea Rescue South Africa (NSRI)
  • #SEATHEBIGGERPICTURE
  • Trail Freedivers
  • Waste-ED
  • Yacht Boaz

Registration for the event will take place at the NSRI building at 08:30, and the community of volunteers will do their part to clean the Hout Bay harbour until 11am. After the big clean, everyone will be invited to the market for a presentation on how the environment is being affected by plastic waste and a lucky draw will be held for all the participants at 11:30, where participants will stand a chance to win prizes.

Over 8 million tonnes of plastic waste is found in our ocean every single year, killing marine life and destroying the environment by releasing toxic chemicals as they degrade. Harmful toxins such as BPA are leaked from these plastics, affecting the reproductive system of animals, choking our oceans and ultimately choking ourselves. It is essential for the future of the planet that we educate our communities and unite as a whole to repair the damage we have caused and make our planet green again.

Join Bay Harbour Market on Saturday the 15th of September and help contribute to the green wave. Come round to the market after the big cleanup and have a fun-filled day surrounded by crafts and happy people. The time is now to make a difference.