AfricanDiver.com

Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup day is scheduled for 25 September and is held in partnership with Project Aware, among others.

According to the Project Aware website, last year, more than 30,000 AWARE Divers and volunteers from 92 countries documented and removed harmful litter surfacing with more than 91,000 plastic bottles and nearly 79,000 plastic bags. In total, the weight of all debris collected equaled the weight of 44 Orca whales or 222 small cars.

Also from the Project Aware website, here’s a list of 10 actions you can take:

Combat Marine Debris. What You Can Do:

1. Remove debris you see during every recreational dive or shoreline visit.
2. The number one item found in cleanups is cigarette filters. Always dispose of them properly and never overboard.
3. Reduce, reuse and recycle.
4. Avoid buying plastic products.
5. Be aware of everything you buy and avoid excessive packaging.
6. Demand improved and increased number of recycling facilities for your area.
7. Properly dispose of all pieces of fishing line, net or other associated litter.
8. Keep plastics and rubbish off the ground and the ocean floor.
9. Keep storm drains and shorelines free of rubbish.
10. Get involved in underwater and shoreline cleanups with Project AWARE year-round or during September’s International Cleanup Day events.

For more information visit Project Aware or Ocean Conservancy’s websites.

If you know of any cleanups being held in Africa, please let us know and we’ll post them here.